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Elizabeth's Secret

My boy is not like other boys. He knows,
I’ve told him, how he lept within my womb
And was the first to recognize his Lord
That day his mother came to me,
Our sons unborn within. He knew!
He danced! I felt his joy!

And now when cousin Jesus
Comes to see us, John, though larger,
Is his willing follower. No jealousy,
No childish pranks against the younger boy.
And I too, by a grace unbidden,
Know no hint of wishing
That my boy might be The One.

My son, my boy, is training for his role
In introducing cousin Jesus to the world.
What that will be like we don’t know, of course.
For now it is a guarded secret.
You’re the first I’ve told. So keep it quiet
Till the time arrives, but when it does
Remember what I’ve said. Just wait. You’ll see.
There’s no denying what is meant to be.

And yet, I have a sense of something more—
Foreboding almost—Yes, that’s it, but
Let’s not talk of that. Just watching
These dear boys at play warms my heart so,
I had to tell you. You’re the first to know.

1/12/19

 I wrote this after reading John 3:22-30, about John’s disciples being concerned because Jesus, who had come to John and was baptized, was now “baptizing, and everyone is going to him.” Rather than being concerned that his thunder was being stolen, John knew—had probably known for years—that Jesus was The One. No doubt his mother had told him about cousin Mary's coming to see her and how the two babies connected so dramatically in utero. An “amazing grace” in this story, to me, is that not only was John not jealous of the more exalted role of his cousin, but I suspect Elizabeth wasn’t either! God chose two very special women to be the mothers of these boys. No one-ups(wo)man-ship there! May we all, with John (and Elizabeth), "decrease, that He may increase."
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