Issue link: http://denverseminary.uberflip.com/i/1189422
29 When my first son was born, he was a bit of a surprise. His due date was in June, which meant I could neatly wrap up my spring semester in seminary. But on May 7th, as I sat in my curriculum class, my labor began a month early. A few mentors immediately emerged in my life: my classmate who drove me to the hospital and assured me that I was indeed having a baby that night, my dear friend who prayed in my delivery room, held my hand and told me that at the end of my fear there would be new life, and finally my mother who stayed with me for days and demonstrat- ed how to hold, bathe, diaper, and feed my newborn son. I was grateful to have built-in mentors, women who had walked the path before me. Mary had a mentor too. When Gabriel announced the coming of Jesus, he immediately referred the virgin teen to her elderly relative, Elizabeth. Luke tells us that Elizabeth was a righteous woman, pious and devoted. Elizabeth had the qualities of a mentor ; she was discerning, intentional, and reflective. One of the most beautiful gifts Elizabeth gave to Mary was to declare, "You are 'the mother of my Lord,'" which was both who Mary was as well as who Mary was becoming. Mary stayed with Elizabeth for three months—three months to let that identity sink in, pondering the implications deeply in her heart as Mary was known to do. What might it take to be the kind of person who can mother the Lord? The snapshots of Mary's mothering journey show us the kind of person she became. She was submissive to God at Gabriel's announcement, reflective during visits from strang- ers, faithfully earnest as she searched for her lost twelve-year-old, decisively calm at the wedding in Cana, solicitous when her son was under opposition, courageous at the cross, and wholehearted as she participated in His continued mission even into Pentecost. God was abundantly merciful; Mary didn't have to learn to become the mother of the Lord on her own. Elizabeth gave her assurance, hope, courage, and a vision. Who might inspire you to become the kind of person God has designed you to be? Debra Anderson, MA AssistAnt leCturer of trAining And mentoring A Mentor For MAry "But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?" – Luke 1:43 December 24