The Gift of Being Yourself: The Sacred Call to Self-Discovery (The Spiritual Journey, #2)

by David G. Benner

All children first find themselves in relation to their parents. Jesus would have been no different. Mary was, of course, a woman apart from all others—“highly favored” by God and “of all women . . . the most blessed” (Luke 1:29, 42). Her humble surrender to the will of God—“let what you have said be done to me” (Luke 1:38)—set the stage for Jesus’ own learning of life lived in relation to God. And over time, Jesus undoubtedly began to internalize Mary’s steadfast confidence in the trustworthiness of God’s love. Over time Jesus would have also absorbed Mary’s deep conviction that he was the “Son of the Most High” (Luke 1:32). He would have grown up hearing the stories of the remarkable events of his birth and early years. He would have heard of the visits of the shepherds and wise men, and of the prophecies of Simeon and Anna on the day he was circumcised. He would know that his family viewed him as the promised and long-awaited savior, the Christ who would bring salvation to Israel and light to the pagans (Luke 2:32).