Be as ordinary as you may be for the rest of forever.

As I was reading about Mary and Elizabeth in Luke's gospel, a realisation crept over me. How strange it must have been for these two women to have been told that they were carrying children of vital importance to God's saving plan for the world.

Elizabeth, falling pregnant in her old age to a son. Moreover, this news of a son was delivered by an angel! How crazy must you have looked, telling people that your son was going to "make ready a people prepared for the Lord".

And then take Mary as well, getting the news from the same angel that her son would be given everlasting reign on the throne of David! It would have been a lot to accept, coming from an angel's lips. I'm sure they questioned their sanity a lot, as would have others. But at least these two women had eachother to talk to. Their children were indeed special. 

One was John the Baptist, whose task it was to prepare the people for their Lord Jesus' coming. And the other- God himself incarnate, who assumed the physicality of humanity in order to free it from slavery. I don't think these two women really understood who their children were and how they were integral to God's plans for the whole world by raising these kids. But it gives me comfort to know that they probably didn't understand just how important their kids' were. It would certainly have been hard for Mary to not play favourites when Jesus was in amongst his regular brothers if she really knew that Jesus was the third person of the trinity of the Christian Godhead. I'm sure it would have been hard anyway, having the most perfect of children in amongst brothers and possibly sisters with regular human sinful actions.

But I digress. My thoughts just wander when I think of how these women were given news of their pregnancies by an angel. Would it have made the pregnancies even more filled with anticipation? Would the women have felt superiority over other friends who just had "boring ordinary" children? Would they have struggled with pride? I'm guessing so.

It also seems so funny to put these children alongside Avalon and other kids I know. No angel has visited me or my friends as far as I'm aware. Our kids will grow up to be ordinary people. Just regular, everyday, run of the mill type adults (most likely). And in this day and age, I think many parents would be quite upset to think that their children wont 'excel', 'succeed' or be in a higher plane of achievement than their peers. And that makes me sad.

Avalon, all I want for you is that you know your maker and King and that your life reflects your awe and thankfulness to him. Avy, all I pray for you is that you are in his flock. The good shepherd's. You can be a toilet-cleaner, you can fail at reading or writing at school, you could be all in all very unimpressive to others, and it won't matter one bit. Because you, my daughter, will be the daughter of a King. And when this King assumes his throne completely, it won't matter what your day job was or how well you 'succeeded' with worldly endeavours. What will matter though is whether you have a friendship with that King. And if you do, he will continue to lavish love on you for all of forever.