Mary and Elizabeth

*Cover Artist: Corby Eisbacher

I realized recently that no matter what I learn and study, I typically look at it through the lens of a woman sold out to women’s ministry. The women’s ministry at my local church literally changed my life. It has redefined the path my family is taking, it’s reshaped the lives of my children. Women’s ministry is literally changing generations, and I am a benefactor of that. 

So when I read my Bible, I see how God uses women for His purpose and glory. I see how Jesus gives dignity to women, He models how women should be treated, and His behavior challenges generations previous treatment of women. 

God’s word tells us the story of Hagar. Where in quite possibly the worst moments of her life, He shows up. And she infamously names God, El Roi, meaning, “the God who sees me”. See Genesis 16.

Jesus shows up to a well, in Samaria of all places, speaks truth to a woman visiting the well at midday (that’s a whole other blog post for another day!), and she becomes the first missionary! She goes on to proclaim the Messiah, and her entire village becomes followers of Jesus. See John 4.

Jesus reveals himself first to Mary Magdalene upon His resurrection. See John 20.

I could go on. 

As female followers of Jesus (more than half of the Church is female, by the way), seeing how women in the Bible respond and treat others, is paramount in teaching us how we should live today. 

In particular, I’ve been diving into the relationship of Mary and Elizabeth. One gave birth to and raised the Savior, and the other gave birth to the forerunner of Jesus… John, in his adult years came to be known as John the Baptist.

Mary. Most scholars agree she was a teenager, (maybe as young as 12-13) at the time an angel appeared to her, and gave her life-changing, generation shaping news… 

“Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob, forever, his kingdom will never end.  – Luke 1:29-33

In response to this incredible, crazy, hard to believe, announcement, Mary has only one, simple question…. “How will this be since I am a virgin?”

What? It’s hard to fathom that she only has this one simple question in response. Most people, myself included, would have MANY questions about this!

The angel Gabriel kindly answered, saying: 

“The power of the Most High will overshadow you, so the holy one to be born to you will be called the Son of  God. Even Elizabeth, your relative is going to have a child in her old age and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month, for nothing is impossible with God.”

And what was her response: 

“I am the Lord’s servant. May it be to me as you have said.” Talk about unwavering faith and obedience! 

Gabriel leaves, and then the next verse says this: “At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth.” 

Now, Mary, didn’t hesitate when she left. She hustled… And here’s what I believe Mary knew. She needed community. She needed someone to walk through this with her. Someone who also had experienced a pregnancy announcement story. (See Luke 1) 

Without delay, she left, 70 miles, on a long and dangerous trip. 

Elizabeth is Mary’s cousin, decades older than Mary. It’s believed she was in her 60’s when she gave birth to John.  Elizabeth was married to Zechariah, and was barren. In this culture, it was a disgrace and a dishonor to not bear children, namely a son to your husband. Because of this, your husband could literally and legally find another wife who could bear him a child. Elizabeth’s inability to conceive is a very big deal. 

But God has a plan. 

The angel Gabriel appeared to Zechariah first and told him about his wife’s impending pregnancy. (Did you read Luke 1 yet?) But suffice it to say, given her age, she had pretty much given up the hope of ever having children. And what’s more? Zechariah was still with her, never left her, never sought another wife.

And now she’s pregnant. 

It was finally her moment. After watching friend after friend, relative after relative all become pregnant. After smiling on the outside for her friend’s happiness but dying on the inside because of her inability to conceive. She was with child. 

Then here comes Mary. 

It’s finally Elizabeth’s time, it’s her moment, and Mary arrives, carrying the Savior of the world. 

There are some “Elizabeth’s” out there who could, say, “Umm no. This is my turn, my moment. You are not stealing my thunder.” 

But Elizabeth doesn’t. She welcomes Mary, in fact when Mary entered, the baby in Elizabeth’s womb, leapt and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. 

And Elizabeth humbly says: 

“But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished.”

Mary, young, not yet married, a pregnant virgin,, facing the hushed whispers and side eyes of those around her now knew she wasn’t alone. Elizabeth understood. 

C.S. Lewis said: “Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another, ‘What? Me too. I thought I was the only one.’”

God chose to work through two women. Two quiet, gentle, looked over women. They didn’t come from royalty. They weren’t prestigious, or wealthy. And I believe that God still wants to use women in the same way today. He wants us to have relationships like Mary and Elizabeth, and like any number of women in the Bible. 

We may feel like we don’t have it all together, or we don’t have anything to offer. But I’m here to tell you that you are wrong. (Sorry to be so frank! I do love you!) You have a very specific role in the Kingdom, and I believe God has given us the narratives in the Bible as tools for how we should live our lives. 

Study the Word, find community, step into your role God has called you to for His Kingdom and His Glory. 

Be Salty

“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.” - Jesus (Matthew 5:13)

Salt isn’t one of those things I spend a lot of time thinking about. In my home, salt is used in the cooking process either at the beginning, added to some butter and garlic before tossing in the meat of choice. (Yum!) Or at the serving of the meal when the food has been served, and we sit down to enjoy. In the typical household today, salt is used to enhance flavor.

But that’s it. There’s not a ton more that goes into it.

That’s why I’m intrigued by Jesus talking so much about salt. 

Last night, I was in my kitchen, and chatting with a friend whose family we had over for dinner. I was filling her in on all this salt stuff. Why I was intrigued by it, and what I’m learning. 

And isn’t it like God to have a purpose in everything? While I had salt on the brain, I was also preparing to speak at a Kitchen Collective. This collective met a couple times throughout a Bible study season to take a break from their study to worship and learn together. 

I was sharing with her about the Kitchen Collective and how excited I am for them. This opportunity for women, and honor it was that I got to play a small part in it. 

And it hit me… last night… right there, while I washed dishes and she sat at the kitchen island, I realized… we were doing was exactly what the Collective is about. Being in the kitchen, creating memories, nourishing souls, feeding bodies. This is it. 

I was telling her about salt, and all the different types of salt out there. I literally opened my cupboard and started pulling out salt. Call me a salt-hoarder. 

There was iodized table salt, fine sea salt, coarse sea salt, kosher salt, pink Himalayan salt, garlic salt, garlic salt with pepper, garlic salt with parsley, onion salt, seasoned salt and don’t even get me started on the herb infused salts. 

And here’s what I discovered. This is us. Salt. Yes, I just called us salt. 

Each one of us is different, but we are called to be salt. I enhance flavors differently than you. You enhance flavors differently than me and others. But this is our role, to influence and impact our world. Flavoring our world with the unique perspective, talents and gifts God has given us. 

We are different, but we each have a purpose to be the salt of the earth.

How and why do we have this arsenal of salt? If there are all these flavors and infused salts, does this give me permission to not be plain table salt all the time? How can I enhance things differently, just as if I am cooking? If I cook for my husband, I’m definitely not using onion salt! If I’m making air-popped popcorn, with melted butter, I’m definitely using the seasoned salt.  

My grandpa, he’s a table salt kind of man. I have a friend that ONLY uses Kosher salt. She actually gave me kosher salt one time because she couldn’t believe I had never heard of it before! For my mom, definitely Pink Himalayan salt. For my Life Group friends… garlic salt. 

I can enhance the flavor of life and of my friends and families lives with different types of salt. I can use (or be) the type of salt they need, at that moment, for that meal. 

Back in the Bible, when Jesus talks about salt:

Jesus isn’t saying, if you feel like it… be the salt of the earth.

He doesn’t say, if you think you are equipped… be the salt of the earth. 

He doesn’t say whenever you are ready… be the salt of the earth. 

He is saying, You are the salt of the earth.

That’s who we are and this is our purpose. 

I’ve learned a few ways to be salt to those around me. 

Know people, and know their story. How can I be the kind of salt they need if I don’t know who they are, what they love, what struggles they may be going through. The good news is, this one is fairly easy… most people like to talk about themselves. I am a human, I can vouch for this.

After knowing their story, the next step is finding the commonalities. Focusing on what we have in common, rather than our differences, makes both of our lives richer. 

I used to have a lot of LDS friends. We had different faith beliefs, but for me to be the salt of the earth to them, for me to add flavor to their life, I had to stay focused on what we have in common. My friends were praying women. I am a praying woman. 

My friends focused strongly on family values and raising their children with good values. I did the same. When they were ready, they came to me to ask me questions that were on their heart. I was just the right amount of salt for them in their life so when they were ready, I was there for them. 

With my Muslim friend, we don’t talk about anything that we disagree on. We focus on what we believe that is the same. She loves God, and she loves Jesus. Her walk with Jesus is definitely different than mine, but she follows his teaching, so we stay focused on that. 

Mark 9:50 says "have salt in your lives and live at peace with one another." 

Finding the commonalities and focusing on those, rather than differences is a way to live at peace with one another. 

One last thing to think on…

Salt makes people thirsty. Have you ever noticed that? 

Let’s be human salt shakers. Let’s sprinkle out the perfect amount of salt, each time, which leaves people thirsty and coming back for more. 

Living Small to Live Big

“Comparison robs us of the joy of obedience. When you feel small, know that the inconspicuous tasks are building big things that we can’t see yet.” -Jennie Allen

God’s call on my life to live small to live big is pretty new in the making. 

But, I don’t think I would have realized what God wanted to do in my life, if I hadn’t spent time over the last few years in life-on-life community with others. This community is dedicated to falling more in love with Jesus, practicing spiritual disciplines and to urge one another on in our journey to be more like Jesus. Another practice we’ve gained over the months is immediate obedience. Scary huh? 

Don’t worry, it’s not like a phone call inviting us to move to Africa for the summer. That’s an entirely different blog post. 

Immediate obedience can only be achieved if you’re spending time with God regularly. The more time you spend with him, the more in tune we are to his plan for us, and what he needs us to do.

Over the last year, he's been calling our family to go small. He’s made it clear to us. He wants us to go small, to live big. 

We’re not entirely sure where this will end up, but as we have begun walking in obedience, this call is clear. He’s directing our steps, and we follow. 

This is only God. I know this because some of the things we are doing, we would never do otherwise.

Most recently, he’s calling us to move. Still nearby, but a different, smaller house, new neighbors, schools, etc. 

It’s scary. 

I’m walking away from a huge garden I love. And I’m okay with that. 

I’m saying goodbye to neighbors who I care deeply for. And somehow I am peaceful about it.

I’ve let go of furniture, antiques and more that I love! And I haven’t even flinched. 

My kids are excited and ready. They actually want to move and are ready for new friends, and neighbors. It shouldn’t be this easy, with a teen and a preteen… shouldn’t there be a fight in this?

God is the only explanation I have for this. 

Our family is clinging to these verses, 1 Timothy 6:17-19.

Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.

So we are moving. We're packing up. We're selling more than half of our stuff, and we're crazy anxious for what's next.

We believe less walls and yard work will result in more time and adventures together. The exciting part? We know this is only the beginning. Who knows what God will lead us to next. 

This living small thing might just be the best thing that's ever happened to us.

Or So I Thought...

It was 2016 and I was standing on the border between the Gaza Strip and Israel.

Soldiers standing were guard in solid cement structures, a slit in the concrete just wide enough to make out the young soldier’s eyes.

“Over there,” our tour guide pointed, “is where Hamas dug a tunnel big enough for a truck to drive through.” They (Palestinians from Gaza), tunneled through the 1.8 miles of “no man’s land.” Land separating Israel and Gaza.

Growing up in the American Southwest, I learned in school and the news that Gaza was full of terrorists. All people who sought the destruction of Israel and the United States.

Here I stood, at the edge of “no man’s land” and for the first time, I heard a different narrative. A different story. And the narrator? An Israeli grandma.

Her neighborhood sat on the border and bomb shelters littered the quiet streets.

Most strikingly, on a street corner, near a playground, was a modest concrete structure.

“What’s that?” someone in our group asked her.

“Oh, that’s a bus stop for the school bus. The concrete is a bomb shelter for the kids. Alarms sound indicating there are incoming rockets and everyone has 15 seconds to seek shelter.”

I sat back in my seat. Shocked. That structure could only hold a couple children. Where would the rest of the children hide?

Now I was convinced… My upbringing, my education, and now what our guide just told us: Hamas, Gaza, Palestinians… they must be terrorists… inhumane.

Or so I thought…

Our tour guide invited us into her home. Dinner was prepared, and we ate mounds of food, typical fare and extravagance poured out to visitors when you visit the Middle East. We were grateful and anxious for more stories.

“Let’s call my friend. She’s a young woman who lives in Gaza.”

What? Bomb shelters, stories of rockets, no man’s land, and now she is calling a friend from over there? How can this be?

We sat nervously as the phone rang, and a young woman answered. She told us her story, her desire to live, to dream, to survive, she told us about her education and her family.

Her dreams were the same as mine. She was just like me. She’s not a terrorist, she’s not evil or inhumane. Didn’t she deserve to live and dream? Not to just survive, but to thrive?

As I listened that evening, I heard stories of teams of people sneaking Palestinians out of Gaza and into Israeli hospitals for care. Stories of Israeli doctors committed to the care, the health and the survival of their enemy.

My neat box I had built around my life, my understanding and my comfort zone was shattered. I didn’t have a box to put all these stories in.

The night went on… stories of Israeli’s and Palestinians who are friends, who love each other. Stories of Muslims and Christians, living side by side, working together, relying on each other. They were committed to a world where dignity and love ruled, not division and hate.

My entire worldview was shaken to the core. And this was why I chose to come.

This trip was facilitated by Amplify Peace, a movement of peacemakers around the world, and these particular trips are immersion trips where you have life-changing encounters with different stories you’ve never heard before.

And then I came home.

I sat at the Thanksgiving table, surrounded by family and friends.

People asked about my recent trip, but their interest fell flat. They did not actually want to know the different perspective now on the table. Could I blame them? What I had seen challenged much of what I believed to be true. Were they ready for this?

I felt completely isolated in my journey to process these perspectives. I cannot un-see what I have seen. I cannot un-hear the stories I heard. I cannot argue with someone’s lived truth and say it is wrong, just because it was contrary to my upbringing.

I turned to Amplify Peace, to learn the principles of peacemaking. I buried my head in books, listened to webinars and podcasts, anything to discover how to really listen to stories I had never heard before, and learn how to be a peacemaker in the midst of it and live differently because of it.

When the holiday season arrives, for many of us, the hot topics of our day are bound to arise during our holiday meals: the pandemic, politics, the lack of unity in our communities, tensions around race, opinions on protesting and more.

Chances are you’ll be sitting at tables this season with people who have different opinions than you. How will navigate these conversations? Here are some tips from Amplify Peace known as the “Principles of Peacemaking:”

1.     Seek to understand rather than be understood.

Listening to understand honors the teller. Sometimes it’s hard, and we must listen longer than feels comfortable.

2.     Humbly listen and learn, do not sit in judgement.

  Understand that every human is on a journey, and we’re all at different pit stops along the way. Some are just starting out, others are at the same pit stop as you, and others are beyond you. This is okay.

3.     Enter into open dialogue, not debates.

A conversation should go both ways. It’s like playing catch. It’s no fun to toss a ball to someone and they never toss it back. Allow the back and forth, ask questions, lean in. It is not a win to convince someone to agree with you. It’s a win when those trying to express their feelings or experience have the opportunity to do so.

4.     Frame questions respectfully.

Consider responses that go deeper. Use phrases like, “tell me more…” and “how did that make you feel?” Then listen without framing your response.  

5.     Respect one another’s unique journey and perspective.

God created humans different, with different lives, experiences, circumstances, and opinions. He did this on purpose. Our differences make us better, they make our society creative and innovative. Embrace this!

6.     Honor relationships over the need to be right.

Commit to doing everything you can to preserve relationships this season. It might not be easy, but imagine the appreciation and gratitude others will have when they see you care more about them as a person than their opinion, or politics. And remember, their opinions are based on a different life experience than your own. Their experience isn’t wrong, it’s different, and that’s okay.

7.     Believe you are engaging in a story bigger than your own.

This is way bigger than one relationship or one holiday meal. This is a new way of living. One that honors the person, their experience, and allows them the grace to be on the journey.

Will we make it through this season unscathed? Maybe not. But we can do our part. We can do our very best and own our role.

“I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” Maya Angelou

If you want to learn more about Amplify Peace visit amplifypeace.com.