Mary Magdalene, Renewed

She gazed upward into the warm sunshine. Jesus was gone. A smile, a loving look, and suddenly, He began moving upward, gradually overtaken by the clouds. She remembered His words, that He must leave so the Comforter could come. She certainly didn't understand what He meant. But, while being with Him, in spite of her tangled life, she had grown to simply trust, to obey--not question and harangue and argue--so, today, she was at peace -- no loneliness, no dismay, her heart full of love towards the Father and towards His Son, her Friend, with no room for grief or sorrow.

Standing amidst the crush of His followers on the hillside, she felt alone...lost in her own thoughts, searching her heart for the next step.

Andrew, one of the disciples, looked around at the others and said, "He told us to go to Jerusalem...." and he immediately turned and strode down the hill.

As the rest ran to catch up with him, joy burst through Mary's heart and she began to sing, "The Lord is my strength and my song and he has become my salvation." A psalm sung during the celebrations, she overflowed with happiness as the words soared through her mouth from her heart. Laughing, she skipped down the dirt path.

She was amazed. What was she doing? Who was she? A free-flowing, joy-filled woman? She never believed she would be so light, so overwhelmed with pleasure. Even the others, accustomed to the serious, intense, contemplative Mary, were shaking their heads as she skipped and sang, rejoicing.

That was it. She was rejoicing. The years of hardship and sorrow and desolation had dropped from her as discarding a cloak. She had truly become a child for the first time in life... A happy, free-spirited, glowing, buoyant child. What freedom, what peace, what zest for life.

And what of Jerusalem? What lay ahead? Trial and hardship? So be it. She had already known in life -- and, amazingly, survived -- trial and hardship. But without the strength of Jesus. With Jesus she could face anything to come her way. Would there be years of labor as the Word of Jesus was shared with others outside of Jerusalem, of Israel? -Hadn't He said His Word would be taken to the ends of the earth?

She suddenly stopped and turned and stared firmly at the spot where she had last seen Jesus. "I'll do it", she promised. "Anything you ask, anything you want, anywhere you want me to go, I'll do it."

And taking a tight grip of her shawl, joyfully ran down the road toward Jerusalem.
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Enjoy the Word Carnival... Renewal