JANUARY 15, 2020

A Selection from 2014

Not-enough-ism runs rampant.  Mirror, mirror on the wall, I'm too old to be the fairest of them all...Elizabeth in the Bible lived under a cloud.  She was barren.  She wasn't enough. Her neighbors thought her a disgrace.  After all, Zacharias was such a nice young man turned into Zacharias is such a nice priest, but, tsk, tsk, tsk: he has Elizabeth for a wife.  I wonder what she did wrong?

"Your most profound and intimate experiences of worship will likely be in hour darkest days--when your heart is broken, when you feel abandoned, when you are out of options, when the pain is great--and you turn to God."  Rick Warren

Even though the promise was, "He has shown His favor..." (Luke 1:25), she remained in seclusion for five months.  Morning sickness?  Waiting for the proof of quickening as Liz Curtis Higgs suggests?  Waiting for her belly to swell as proof?  Pregnant at her age with a mute husband, imagine that.  It makes me laugh to imagine Zacharias coming out of the temple where he was struck dumb for his disbelief using hand gestures trying to tell his aged wife she was pregnant.   More than anything, she had those months to ponder like Mary treasuring these things up in her heart.  Finally, she went out to dispel the gloom of the naysayers.

"This is the way the Lord has dealt with me in the days when He looked with favor upon me to take away my disgrace among men."  Another translation, "among the people."  (Luke 1:25) God wants to look with favor upon us, to dispel our disgrace that is whispered among the people.  Have you pondered the favor of God?  Have you gone out to show to others His favor?

You are enough because He is enough.

The miraculous gift was given to Elizabeth and Zacharias for a purpose.  "For all her years of feeling less-than, Elizabeth had worshipped a more-than God.  Now she intended to give Him the glory for it.  What's the opposite of disgrace?  Ah.  Grace.  God filled her with His favor, His mercy, His loving-kindness.  Then He filled her with a son..."  Liz Curtis Higgs from "Women of Christmas."