Why God spelled backwards is Dog
Every December I think of Mary being pregnant, like how did she tell Joseph? Did she tell him while at the fridge looking for something to cook for dinner or stuffing clothes into the washing machine? You know we are all told it had to be a shock to Joseph, he had this look on his face as if to say, “wait, what? We never even did it!” And then there is that part where she had to ride on that Donkey in her ninth month! Have you ever ridden a Donkey? Well, I have, they have narrow bony backs. That is why whenever you see a picture of someone riding a Donkey, they are all curled in on themselves protecting their groin. It’s awful.
People don’t give pregnancy much thought, and perhaps because it is so common. Like other things that are common, people forget to see both the suffering and the miracle. I know I had forgotten the pregnancy journey until this past year. Both my daughters became pregnant and then I was reminded twice over about the ninth month journey- that is when you lose your glow, and it all starts to get ugly. That walk down memory lane brought back images of swollen legs, brain fog and Sciatica nerve you knew nothing about until it began screaming at you. To make it all worse, no one takes you seriously, not even yourself. You know your body is flooded with twice the amount of hormones and you're a hot mess because you are growing a whole nother human being- it does not matter…..that last month, you just want to be like a dog, be left alone, crawl under a porch and emerge when its all over.
And then -a mother is born, a woman who learns to put others needs above her own. Young mothers will learn how to use their teeth to untied knots on their children’s shoes, how to navigate a two-year-olds temper tantrum in the middle of a market, and of course the many uses of spit; to straighten a child’s hair or wipe chocolate off their face. Crossing over the threshold from self -to the care of others, is what gives a woman superpowers! Upon becoming a mother, she will henceforth be given the gift of eyes in the back of her head, know what you did before you fess up and become clairvoyant.
Natural law requires the shedding of the old to discover the new, nowhere is this more apparent than with motherhood. We are reminded of this phenomenon during this time of year, not only with the birth of Jesus but the sacrificial process of pregnancy. Because being self-sacrificing is a virtue and virtue brings light, and self-indulgence brings death. Often mothers of unplanned children later say, “it was the child that gave me life through meaning and purpose.”
Mary shines a light on how it’s done. When I think of Mary in the days leading up to Jesus' birth, I see a woman who was very aware of God's plan and gift as stated in her Magnificat (Luke 1:46-55). Where there is sacrificial love there goodness, truth and beauty.
And if you’re a guy reading this, and your wife is currently pregnant, make life easier on yourself, simply let her win every disagreement. I’m sure Joseph did.