Mary, Mary...

For some reason, I could smell something fishy in most of the nursery rhymes. Somebody gave my daughter a huge Mother Goose nursery rhymes book when she was just born. But I have only read it to my little girl once or twice. I really didn't like the rhymes there. Some of them just don't make sense at all. Here is one example...

Rock-a-bye, baby,
In the tree top:
When the wind blows,
The cradle will rock;
When the bough breaks,
The cradle will fall;
Down will come baby,
Cradle and all.

Why would I want my little girl to memorize that rhyme? Sounds awful to me. Imagine the baby falling to the ground?

I just learned that most nursery rhymes were actually created to criticize the royal family and the government in England long time ago. It was the people's way of expressing their complain of the corrupt ways of the government. Another example is...

Mary Mary quite contrary,
How does your garden grow?
With silver bells and cockle shells
And pretty maids all in a row.


The rhyme actually talks about Queen Mary's morbid ways. The garden was colloquialism of the graveyard where all of those tortured for disobeying her wishes were buried. Silver bells and cockle shells were colloquial of the instruments used to torture and kill the people. Abominable!

My husband mentioned to me before that the Foxe's Book of the Martyrs records the origin of the drink called, Bloody Mary. He said that its roots is traced way back during Queen Mary's reign. She was such a Catholic fanatic that she ordered all those who didn't believe in infant baptism to be tortured to death. There were, of course, people who didn't believe in it and most of them suffered and died. It is very sad.

Anyway, in our ladies Bible study at church last week, we were studying about how many of us, women, are like "Mary, Mary... quite contrary". We look so perfectly positive on the outside but deep inside us are jealousy, unforgiving spirit, hatred, pride, love of money, power and control, materialism, love for pleasures rather than love for God, selfishness, and etc.. The Bible says, "Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away." (2 Timothy 3:5)

Lord, help us to live a life that is pleasing to you. Search our hearts and forgive us of our contrary attitudes. Cleanse us from all unrighteousness and help us bear the fruit of the Spirit. In Jesus' mighty name, Amen.