THE SAD RUDOLPH, MARY, AND 2020
But Mary said to the angel, “How can this be?” – Luke 1:34
One humdrum winter day, I attempted to add a little holiday cheer to my three year old’s room. Rather than sugarplums, visions of a heartwarming bonding experience danced in my head as we began creating a Rudolph to hang on her door. Everything seemed to be going smoothly. I found the perfect brown paper for his face and she glued on decorative construction paper. However, after she attempted to draw his eyes and mouth, she became very gloomy. “He looks sad,” she lamented. I tried to fix his smile and round out his pupils so he appeared happy, but she grumpily persisted. “I don’t like him.” At this point, I too became dismayed that my expectations were not met.
After we both got some lunch in our bellies, I started thinking out loud. “Sometimes we think things will be a certain way,” I found myself telling her, “and it can be disappointing when they’re not. I think that made Mommy a little grumpy. Sorry ‘bout that.”
After a pause, she said, “Mommy, I’m sorry too.”
We said I love you and hugged as my heart swelled, realizing I had stumbled upon that special bonding moment after all.
The caption of the year 2020 could very well be “when expectations don’t meet reality.” This year, that has varied from the birth of a child to the loss of loved ones. 2020 has made these occasions far different than we ever imagined.
If there is one thing that the sad Rudolph, our Mother Mary, or even the entirety of 2020 can teach us though, it’s that just past our disappointments and disillusioned plans, God’s majesty will unfold.
In Mary’s wildest imaginations, I am sure that she never envisioned bearing the Christ child as a young teenager. The conflict between her vision and reality is made clear in the questions she asks the angel Gabriel. However, she intuitively knew that just past her fiat, God’s plans would begin to unfold. She didn’t need to lower her expectations, but rather to broaden them to allow for God’s divine plan.
Today, think of areas in your life where reality is quite different from your expectations. Have you become dismayed and lowered your expectations? Instead, could you follow Mary’s footsteps and broaden your expectations to see the big ways God shows up?
Patty Hussey