The Gift of Girlfriends
By Carolyn Hulliberger
“Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months and then returned home.”
Luke
1:56 (NIV)
Something new has struck me about
the events leading up to the birth of Christ. It’s the story of Elizabeth and
Mary. Mary was a young girl, engaged to be married, the expectant mother of
Jesus Christ but still a virgin. Elizabeth was a cousin of Mary, the expectant mother
of John the Baptist. Elizabeth was “barren…and well along in years” (Luke 1:7).
Both women’s pregnancies were miraculous by medical standards.
Mary’s pregnancy was scandalous…likely
embarrassing for her family to explain. I imagine being sent to spend time with
her cousin provided respite from the whispers and dirty looks sent her way. In
our culture, where teenage pregnancy does not carry the stigma it once did,
this part of the story of Mary is lost in translation. For a teenaged girl in
this time, an unwed pregnancy was devastating. She would have been ostracized
by her community.
Elizabeth was six months along when
Mary came to stay. I imagine Elizabeth was joyful, but a bit lonely. Her
friends, given that she was older, possibly didn’t have young children…while
she was about to start a new life. For months, her husband had been silenced by
God for his questioning of this miracle (Luke
1:18-20). Their communication had to be completely altered during this time.
And while the birth of their son would soon fill the house with noise and joy,
the days of her pregnancy were possibly fairly quiet.
So the arrival of Mary for a long
visit was probably a blessing to them both. Both women were experiencing magnificent
miracles - - but also incredibly challenging. We tend to see how Elizabeth
would have performed a mentor role to Mary, but I can see how the gift of
Mary’s youth in the home would have been just as valuable for Elizabeth. While
they may have started out this visit as cousins, my guess is they ended it as
girlfriends. “Doing life” together would have fused their relationship. I love that our God orchestrated the events
for these two women, knowing ahead of time their need for companionship and
mutual understanding. Amongst His grand plan for His Son to enter the world as
our Redeemer, the needs of two special women in the “background” of the Messiah
story are specifically met.
GOING DEEPER:
1.
Has God ever provided someone in your life just when you needed it? Think
on the impact of that person. How will you prepare to be that type of person to
someone else?
2.
Imagine you are Elizabeth after Mary has left, and write a note to her. Or imagine you are Mary and pen a note to
Elizabeth.
FURTHER
READING:
Along with caring for her family,
Carolyn works as an insurance representative, and serves in Oakwood Church’s
Student Ministries with an incredible group of senior high students.
