Greet Mary

“Greet Mary, who labored much for us.” - Romans 16v6

You will indulge me, I am sure, for one day of very personal reflection today. On the 21^st January, 1978, in a little church called Jump Off Baptist Church on a snowy mountaintop in rural Tennessee God gave me an amazing, wonderful, precious gift which ranks second only to my eternal salvation. He gave me a gift called Mary.

I don’t know who the Mary is that Paul wrote about in Rome, as far as I know no one does. We do know one thing, Paul made sure to send greetings to her for she “laboured much” for him and his team. I have a feeling though that the Mary Paul sent greetings to and the Mary God gave me were a lot alike.

The Mary in Rome was a servant, of that we are certain. When I think of “my Mary” I can certainly understand what it means to labour much. For the last thirty years she has prepared my meals, washed my clothes, and cared for my home. She has borne my children, changed their nappies, cared for them when they were ill, been there when they needed an ear, educated them, and recently been the perfect grandmother to their children. She has been my helpmeet, my co-worker, my counsellor, my lover, and my friend. She faithfully served God as a school teacher, which is her passion, but gave that up when she left kith and kin to move thousands of miles away to serve God with me in a foreign land. In the early days of the church here she opened her home for church three times a week, for Kids Klub, and Teen Time, and any other function that needed to take place, with all its inherent preparation and clean-up. She has prepared thousands of snacks and treats for the various church activities through the years. This, and so much more, describes my own Mary.

To be honest, like I said, I don’t know much about the Mary who laboured much for Paul and his team, but I do know my Mary and her labours.

Praise our amazing heavenly Father for my own Mary, who has, like that Mary in Rome, laboured much for me and for so many others.

Happy 30^th anniversary, my love, my helpmeet, and my friend.