Temporary Reward

[Birth & Babies - III]

Mary rode a donkey 90 miles from Nazareth to Bethlehem. At nine months pregnant!*

Consider that for a second.

90 miles.
On the back of an animal.
Over hills, through valleys, all in the sun.

She deserves an award. (At least a trophy or ribbon.)

If the reward is given, it’s an accolade, and it feels wonderful. It’s earned . . . and rightfully so. Somebody or some body of people recognize your merit. But extrinsic rewards loose their luster. Their sheen dulls, and the applause goes silent.

If the reward is intrinsic, from within, it’s also earned. But it never loses it’s sheen. It never leaves.

Mary deserves an award. She did then, and she still does now. But in a literal way, her reward was within—carried in her womb, built by her own body, nurtured and nourished by her very own flesh.

Our rewards must come from a deep well of affirmation that only we can carry, build, and nurture. If people like us wait on others to reward us, we may be waiting forever. If and when it comes, it will only be temporary.

*Luke 2:4