Sarah Jakes - Dear Mary: Lessons From the Mother of Jesus for the Modern Mom

by Cora Jakes-Coleman

D ear Mary,

As mothers, we have difficulty with every new struggle, level, and storm our children go through, whether its starting school, going off to college, battling addiction, teen pregnancy, adoption, and the list goes on. In addition to being challenging, walking our children through these stages often requires a huge sacrifice on our part. As I think about your example as a mother, I am amazed by the sacrifices you made for the betterment of the world. As I think of your story, and your Sons story, I am in awe of your ability to trust God without doubt, hesitation, or resistancenever once worrying about what anyone might say, including Joseph.

You accepted Gods call, probably not even considering the pain, agony, and sacrifice required. Your story empowers mothers, while also challenging us to believe God in ways that we never have before. As a mother myself, I wonder how hard it was for you to accept this call and trust God. I wonder if modern-day mothers would have accepted the call at all, or would we have missed our opportunity to know you because of our fear of the unknown? I wonder if we would have heard the angels voice, or would we have been watching television, listening to music, always remaining distracted by the things of the worldsimply busy establishing our own plans?

I can only imagine how hard it must have been as a young woman to give up your dreams and desires for Gods plan. I can only imagine how hard it must have been to carry a child knowing that one day He would have to go through unbelievable pain and agony for your sake. As a mother, it had to be extremely difficult to sacrifice yourself so that your child could accomplish His purpose on earth. As a mother who fought to be a mother, I admire your ability to be so self-sacrificing. You opened your body to receive a gift that you would later have to give to the world.

Your ability to allow God to bless you with something indescribable later gave us the ability to receive and understand indescribable blessings. As women, we now seek the impossible because you had the faith to birth the One who makes all things possible in an impossible way. A mothers love is indescribable, but a mothers sacrifice is priceless. You lovingly raised your child, preparing Him for His assignment of bringing salvation to the world, knowing fully that it would break your heart.

You, Mary, defied all odds, and fought a fight that no mother will ever be able to match. You, Mary, stood for the broken person, the hurting person, the lost person, and you produced salvation through yourself, for yourself and for the world. Did you know that your baby boy would save you? Did you know that the life you gave to Him, He would turn around and give back to you? Did you know that you would birth faith for the faithless and healing for the broken? Did you truly know what it meant when the angel said you would give birth to Emmanuel? Did you know that you would also sacrifice your heart as a mother so that your Son could give His heart to the world?

What an amazing story, that you would give your body so that your Son could give His body as a living sacrifice. You are not just a mother, but a mother that birthed a gift for all. I would later develop the desire and the dream of becoming a mother to a son because of your sacrifice. Mary, because of your sacrifice, I am determined to fight for my promise of a child.

You, Mary, are the mother who made every other mother possible. You are the mother who made every fight possible. You are the mother who birthed salvation into the world because you accepted a gift that anyone else would have turned away. Mary, through you, we would develop hope and come to understand that sometimes our promises are only made manifest through the sacrifices of our hearts. Mary, we applaud you as the mother who wonand lost. We applaud you as the mother who birthed greatness so that we could receive the promise of His great reward and, yes, even our own greatness.

Dear Mary, thank you for accepting the call. Mary, you are what a mother is. You are what a mother does, and you are what every mother should strive to be. You taught us that mothering is not about us, but rather about guiding and nurturing our children so they are able to walk in Gods chosen purpose for their lives. Mary, you taught us how to be a mother, and for that lesson we applaud you.

Cora Jakes-Coleman

D ear Mothers,

I dont think there is a group that compares themselves to each other more than mothers. The quest for guidance and approval leaves us observing the steps and patterns of motherhood very closely. One mother Ive studied can be found beginning her journey in the New Testament.

The life of Mary has been so significant for me because history reveals that she was a teenage mother. Certainly the times were much different then, and teen pregnancy didnt have the same stigma it does now. However, there was something about a young girl being trusted with life that made me want to examine how she was able to survive mental, emotional, and physical attacks. I imagined that once the news of Gods impregnating her began to circulate, she was called crazy and made to become an outcast. There is no woman in the Bible more fitting to give insight on becoming a mother under extraordinary circumstances than Mary.

When my children came to an age when they were no longer oohing and ahhing in baby talk, I realized they were copying what they saw in me. My son has many of my mannerisms and has inherited my sense of humor. My daughter has much of my charisma and emulates my clothing style. I never sat them down and told them which parts of my personality to take. Theyd learned more from what I didnt say than any words I ever uttered. So when the time came to write this book for us, you and me, I knew the clues to the mentality of Mary would reside in the actions of Christ.