Christian poem 'FROM MARY'S PERSPECTIVE' by Antoinette Keyser (Christart.com)

FROM MARY'S PERSPECTIVE
by Antoinette Keyser © 2008

Lord, when Your Holy Angel came to me that night
To fill my young life with Your brightest of Light
Your joyful Message of Great Wonder
Caused me at first to pause, and ponder-
(For a little while, at least)
Before the joy in me increased
To a bubbling fountain of raving gladness
As Gabriel explained that at last all life's sadness
Would finally come to a triumphant end
As in Love, reaching out to us, You would blend
True Deity…with humanity -
In the Man who would come to end all calamity-
Conquer all turmoil, do away with all strife
As He changes each and every life
Of whosoever would accept Him
As their Saviour Who came to save and bless them.

And then, oh Lord, as I made the decision
To accept Your commission
To be the mother of the One
Whom, as Your One and Only Son,
To this dying world You'd send…
Lord, truly, my excitement new no end!
He'd be the Saviour of all mankind -
Healer of the sick, the lame, the blind!
Oh, that the Messiah Whom You promised
Would be born from me, Your humble maidservant!

I just had to rush over and tell my cousin
Elizabeth—still pregnant, carrying John.
Of course her excitement could never match mine
But it came close, as her face began to shine
When Your Holy Spirit touched the baby inside of her,
Making him leap for joy in recognition of my Jesus!

The night of His birth, Lord, I'll never forget
The journey to Bethlehem—my hometown;
The inner turmoil as I sat on that donkey hoping...
Praying for just the littlest amount of rest.
And then…the mixed feelings of sorrow and joy
As I wrapped my newborn Baby in mere sheets of cloth-
Lay Him down in a manger, in the humblest of places.

Oh! I'll always remember the smiles on the faces
of the shepherds that night-
a lasting effect of Your message of Hope
Ringing across the fields from the Messenger Angels -
The tranquility among the inn-keeper's animals
Still remains in my thoughts to this day;
Sadly, though: while reverent Orientals
Came from afar to pay Him respect
Those whose Messiah He came to be... just carried on,
Until late that night,
Relentlessly driven by their own activities-
Not even aware of their Saviour's arrival…

He was a Model Child, always easy to handle;
To all around Him He was a Light bearing Candle;
As a grown up young Man, His Love knew no end
As He ministered to those whom He came to mend.
His disciples followed Him closely—place to place-
Oh, what an honour to have been face to face daily
With the Messiah who came to save them…
Even though they didn't fully understand the implication!
(Not right then, anyway!)

But, as His mom, I experienced the greater honour.
I was truly blessed among all others
Oh, had I known but a very small portion
Of what lay ahead—
had I foreseen the contortion
Of pain on His face as He hung on that Cross-
Had I been able to sense and visualize this maternal loss-
Oh, Lord, would I still have been brave, and willing to be
The mother of the One Who came to save me?
I don't think so.
Therefore, thank You, my Lord
For telling me only what I needed to know on that day.

Lord, I'm so full of confusion, turmoil and strife-
As I'm trying to hold onto Your light in my life.
The tempest within me surpasses all others
As I try to be brave, but keep running for cover-

But then I think of my Son on that terrible night:
Completely forgotten - out of sight, out of mind by His friends -
asleep when He needed a companion -
Not there for Him when He yearned for their compassion.
When He had no strength left in His Body at all
He was pinned to the Cross to await death's brutal call.
Yet, amidst all of that He stood steadfast and brave
And continued to mend those whom He came to save!
In blind rage His young life was brutally ended
By the very same ones who on His mercy depended.
But He spoke forgiveness to our shattered souls
As He completed His love-task of making us whole.
Who then, am I, to question You, Lord…
All I know is that, one day, I'll receive my reward…

…that I'm in Your Care…

My badly battered mind turns to You for rest, my Lord:
You have suffered much more than any person could bear
When You gave up YOUR life to claim MY reward…

Laughed at, and mocked, while You hung there to die-
An innocent Victim of the enemy's lie…
Never once did You flinch - You stood steadfast and brave
As You vanquished the enemy and conquered the grave.

Thank You for keeping me, Lord, in Your Hand
And mending and guiding me, untill I can stand;
For supplying the Grace to forgive and forget
And helping me, Lord, to truly accept-
To follow wherever You're planning to take me
And cherish , and love, whom You're planning to make me.

Please contact Antoinette Keyser at "riskabytaifun@yahoo.com" to request permission to use this poem.