Overshadowed

“… and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.” - Luke 1:25b

Mary asked the shining angel before her, “How will this be since I am a virgin?” The verse above was his answer. “The power of the Most High will overshadow you.”

I am coming out of the December haze now. Advent and Christmas offered glimmers of peace, joy, and revelation, but it also tends to be a difficult time of year for me. At the end of it, though, I am starting to see and think more clearly about what it all means…about the coming of Christ, about hope and transformation.

I have written about this in a slightly different way each year, but I continue to wrestle with how much WORK Christmas is for moms, especially moms with multiple kids, complicated family dynamics, and a husband who wakes up on December 1st and sighs with pure delight, “Ahhh it’s Christmas time, my favorite time of the year.” (God bless him). I am not proud of this, but most of the time, it feels more like pressure than joy and peace.

In ancient times, when it was time to prepare for a feast, let’s say Passover, I imagine that women worked hard to prepare their homes, meals, etc.. But that was already built into their main role, their mother or mother-in-law probably lived with them to help instead of having their own separate traditions. Simplicity, scarcity, and built-in tradition was a subtle blessing of its own. Nowadays, with all the “blessings” of technology, we can jam pack our calendar with twenty different events and celebrations, order everything on our kids’ lists from Amazon and elsewhere, curate family devotional times to reflect on the true meaning of Christmas, make sure the kids have at least one nice Christmassy outfit with appropriate SHOES (the shoes always get me), plan the meals, buy the food, make the meals, buy new wrapping paper and fresh ribbons and bows (aren’t bows on everything a little overkill after all that?) while still maintaining an attitude of joy and gratitude through it all. On a deeper level, of course, I am grateful for my healthy children, amazing stud of a husband, and the ability to buy presents for every family member. Yet, somehow, I still get caught up in all the other “stuff,” desperately wanting to “get it right,” and feeling like a failure when someone is disappointed.

I found myself getting ready in the bathroom on Christmas Eve saying to my husband, “I wish Christmas didn’t have to be such a big deal.” I immediately questioned my words and knew I was expressing something way outside of the actual meaning of Christmas. But I went on to explain that it seems like our culture creates this expectation that everything is supposed to be perfect at Christmas, which, for most people, then highlights disappointments and loneliness and lack. If it wasn’t such a big deal, I thought, then people wouldn’t be as sad when they don’t have what they want or who they want. Christmas time seems to highlight people’s pain, loneliness, and lack more than any other time of year. I realize I’m not seeing the whole picture here. But I really don’t want family members I love to be sad at Christmas. I don’t want the homeless people I see on the side of the road to be alone at Christmas. And I don’t want to be sad at Christmas either.  I want the joy of our Savior to overshadow the brokenness, for Him to fulfill our deepest longings.

But “how will this be?”

“… and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.”

Mary was willing to take hold of the transformation being offered to her. She didn’t understand how it could be that she was pregnant, that her belly would grow and her body would give birth to a human baby born from God. But she surrendered. Her response was “From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me - Holy is his name.” She held fast to the hope that the promise would be fulfilled. And she proclaimed that hope, even having not received it yet. We, too, can rejoice and cling to hope, even when things haven’t been made right yet. Advent and Christmas are about a promise fulfilled through Christ’s birth and a promise not yet fulfilled through his return.

It’s okay to be sad at Christmas. But we must not mourn as those without hope. Christmas is a time to rejoice with gratitude proclaiming, “The Lord has done great things for us!” Because He has. Whether you’re a homeschooling or working mom at Christmas with a giant to-do list just wanting space to breathe, whether you are single and lonely, whether you are living in regret or abundance, this is the time we rejoice and let the joy overshadow our pain. May we not be overcome by our lack and longings, but allow them to draw us to the One who came to fulfill our deepest longing. May we be overshadowed by His goodness, beauty, and grace and let that goodness propel us into the new year.

We were made to long for Him. He came. He is here. Emmanuel is here with us. And He’s coming again on His white horse to make everything right in our hearts and minds, not to mention in our physical world (Rev. 19:11-16).

I still have a ways to go with my approach to December. I do think I’m getting better at navigating it each year. I don’t think I will ever get it perfectly right. But I do see growth compared to last year and the year before. That is transformation, I guess. More releasing that which I can’t control. More joy and peace. More gratitude and grace for myself. More finding rest in being overshadowed by His love for me. We can rejoice NOW, even in our brokenness, because the God of the universe is rejoicing over us! He is rejoicing over YOU. Take a moment to marvel over that.

“The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.” - Zephaniah 3:17