Virgin Mother Kind

Among our many clients here, we have a number of very young mothers. And I'm not talking "16 and pregnant." I mean 11 and 12 years old. It really is outrageous to witness, especially knowing that their status is the direct result of maltreatment by another person. Their innocence, so to speak, and their childhoods have been taken from them, and that is injustice. But despite the ugliness that underlies these stories, there is a thing of beauty there- how the Lord can bring new life out of horrific abuse, and how a girl, who is really just a child herself, can be a loving, nurturing mother.

Last week, I was accompanying a client to an appointment, and I was really just in awe of her ability to be a mother at such a young age. Most girls her age (at least in the States) are preoccupied with seventh grade drama, One Direction, and the Biebs; but here she was, cradling and feeding her baby.

It is an obvious comparison to make, but as I watched her, I couldn't help but think of Jesus' mother. Sure, at that time, girls were betrothed at 12 and 13 years old, but that is still such a tender age. And to think of how scared Mary was at the prospect of becoming a mother in the strangest of circumstances. Not to mention Joseph, who risked being ostracized and going against the rules of his culture in order to support Mary and walk alongside her in that journey that put them at odds with their community. I am not comparing myself to Joseph here, but I think that walking alongside those whom society has cast aside is noteworthy.

While I am pretending to be a Catholic here in Guatemala, I am a dyed-in-the-wool Protestant. I think that as Protestants, we are hesitant of liking Mary too much; and while I do think that we should be careful, there are great lessons to be learned from her. And while it saddens me to think of the horrors these young girls here in Guatemala have gone through, it has been cool to see their stories in light of how God has worked in similar circumstances that gave us the greatest gift of all.