There Is Joy in My Heart and Muck on My Shoe

Excuse Me, Dear, I Think You May Have Muck on Your Shoe Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. —Luke 2:19 Mary shows us how to really live. Mary has muck on her shoe and joy in her heart. My question for you to think about is, why is the modern-day Nativity scene so sanitized? If Mary, Joseph, and Jesus could see today’s take on the Nativity scene, they probably wouldn’t recognize it. Their thoughts: What? Seriously? That’s not right. Please add some more dirt, hay, manure, spiders, roaches, the mess from birth, and a lot more odor. Really? This is how you people portray it? The place was dirty, with spiderwebs everywhere, and bugs and manure had the run of the place. Excuse me, but it had no bed, no midwife, and absolutely no doctor, and it stank. There was excrement all over Mary’s and Joseph’s shoes! If we could just plop down into this scene and smell the odors, see all the animals, and feel the stress of the situation, we would not sanitize this picture. Mary’s inexperience and Joseph’s naivete (maybe that is why it’s a Nativity—naive) are both very overwhelming. Please tell me that there was someone to help Mary deliver Jesus. Please tell me someone had mercy on them. These details are left out. Is it because that part just isn’t pretty, or because there are some things we just shouldn’t share? Birth is messy—really messy, scary, and beautiful. It’s natural to look at the Nativity from our perspective. Mary had surely seen many babies being born and probably had helped deliver them. Maybe Joseph stepped outside, and Mary quietly had her baby and tended to all the details herself. Very impressive—no wonder there are so many statues of Mary! We are very spoiled nowadays! Did Mary cry out or just silently have Jesus? How was the umbilical cord cut? Can you imagine having Mary describe the birth of Jesus at a baby shower? Wouldn’t you like to sit down next to her and get all the details over some quiche and coffee? Just when Joseph and Mary were getting Jesus comfy and adjusting to the smell and the animals, a miracle emerged. While they were busy cleaning up the manure and Jesus (What water did they use? Was it even boiled?), singing angels appeared to some shepherds in a lonely field. A huge bright star appeared over the stable. Dirty, frightened shepherds obeyed the announcement to come and see Jesus. Right there, with a little muck on Mary’s and Joseph’s feet, an entire host of angels came to worship and announce the good news. When one angel shows up, the first thing that is typically said to us human folk is, “Do not fear.” When a whole host of angels show up and start singing, silent holy awe overtakes you. The heavenly Father was presenting His human and holy Son as an infant to the world. This miracle was on full display. It was dirty, hard, humble, and miraculous! The Bible says, “Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart” (Luke 2:19). You know she did! She remembered the angel telling her she had been chosen to bring God’s Son to earth. She remembered this amid the stench of the animals, the sight of her husband, the dirty shepherds, the tiny infant hands and feet, and the bright star illuminating it all. She was an authentic woman, one who had muck on her shoe and a song in her heart. She was a friend, a wife, and a mother, and someone I would love to meet. So, if you have messy stuff on your shoe or in your life like Mary, Joseph, and I do, and if sometimes you don’t smell or feel good, then you are living a full life. We can learn to be like Mary with muck on our shoes and the song of Christ in our hearts as we thrive amid this wonderful thing called life. Life happens: the good, the bad, the tragic, the boring, the wonderful, and the miraculous all happen. Miracles are always in front of us, and most often we experience them among the hard things like Mary did. The stories of life can be funny, hard, and beautiful and, more often than not, full of glimpses of God’s glory. BYOB (Bible or beer—both work, as long as you don’t use the Bible as a coaster for your beer) and enjoy this quirky, raw, real devotional book about life, struggle, how to handle hard times, and how much God loves each one of us. Reflection Do you think Mary had an easy time (being an unwed pregnant teenager) explaining this miracle to her fiancée and family? How would you react if you were her parents, friend, or fiancée? How can you be more vulnerable and real with others? Are you able to have joy and praise the Lord even when you are having difficult times? Prayer Lord, teach me to have a song of praise in my heart to You while I dwell on earth. Help me praise You and see Your goodness, even while there may be difficulties in my life. Help me, Lord, to have a joyful demeanor. I love You, God. Amen.