Unlike Anything she had Seen Before

The smell of the city was indescribable
And it was nothing like home.
The crowds, the sounds, the noise,
Was foreign.
The pain in her back
As she rode the donkey
Could be ignored
If she concentrated on the people around her.
It was unlike anything she had seen before.

When Joseph had told her
That they had to go to his hometown,
She thought Bethlehem would be interesting.
She wanted to know more about the man
Who would be her husband.
She never considered that the journey
Would take her through Jerusalem.
She was looking everywhere,
Afraid.
She hoped that they would leave soon.
It was unlike anything
She had ever seen before.

She ran a hand over her swollen belly,
Ignoring the rough feel of the cloth
To marvel at the push of the tiny feet
Against her skin.
Still amazed that there was life growing inside of her.
Still shocked that she had been chosen
By God.
To carry this child.
To be mother to the incarnate God.
It was unlike anything
She had ever imagined before.
It was all so very much unlike
Anything.

She remembered the stories
Her parents had told her as she was growing up.
Stories of Solomon and his palace.
Stories of Kind David.
And she looked around,
Wondering if she would see
Where these wonderful places
Had been.
Wondering if she would pass the temple.
The holy place of God.

Where would this trip take her?
What would it mean to her life
That she had said yes to God’s angel?
What would it be like to give birth
To a baby?
To this baby?
To be a wife?
To be a mother?
To raise the man who would be greater
Than King David?
It was unimaginable.
It was unlike anything
She had ever seen before.