Mary was a young lady with a special light in her eye. She would soon be the wife of an honorable man. As a young woman with God’s will on her heart and His laws on her mind, she knew she desired only to live for God.
Her reactions to an angel’s pronouncement would indeed prove her sincerity.
Can you imagine with me, Mary going about her daily tasks, that light in her eye, a spring in her step, her heart aflutter over anticipation for the future? Suddenly, an unexpected visitor appears:
“The angel went to Mary and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”
Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, “Don’t be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you will give Him the name of Jesus. He will be great and be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give Him the throne of his father David, and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will never end.” Luke 1:28-33 (NIV)
After seeking clarification on the how this might transpire, Mary simply said, “I am the Lord’s servant, may it be to me as the Lord has said.” Luke 1:38 (NIV)
Wow! On so many levels! Wow!
Let’s examine Mary’s heart. She had just been told her whole world would turn upside down. While yes, she is honored and chosen by God, what will people think? What will Joseph think? What is she to do now?
Could she even wrap her head around it?
Maybe the only thing that mattered was that this, this was God’s will for her life.
It wasn’t her plan.
In fact, it would disrupt her plans.
It would create a scandal the world has never known.
But, none of that mattered. What did matter was Mary was obedient to God. With human eyes, this appeared disastrous for Mary, yet, she trusted God. She trusted His plan. She trusted it was paramount she obeyed God and welcome Jesus into her life.
Adjustments had to be made. She would already be pregnant when taken home to live with her husband. She would not experience the wedding night of her dreams. Her friends and family would whisper of her in ways she never thought.
And, they would all be wrong.
Yet, she had to trust God. Trust Him as never before. She knew He knew, and she had to come to terms that that was all that mattered.
She trusted her life in God’s loving arms. She stepped out in faith as never before.
If God wanted her to accept Jesus into her life, into her heart, and into her world, she would gladly do it. She would adjust her plans, her life, her thinking about everything, and welcome God’s son.
What about you and me? How do we respond when Jesus is unexpected, inconvenient, and life-altering?
When welcoming Him into my life is disgraceful, shocking and even scandalous to the world, to my world.
Does the opinion of others outweigh my heart’s desire to obey God?
Is my plan for my life etched in stone on my heart where I would never give God’s intervention a chance, a chance for Him to redirect and gently guide me to where He wants me?
Do my expectations for what my life should look like preclude anything my loving father might want to bestow on me, on the world?
Mary was a young woman after God’s heart. Although God would turn her world upside down, she welcomed His intervention into her life. She welcomed His gift of Jesus into her heart and into her womb. She sacrificed her hopes and dreams to allow God to author greater hope for a world that dreams of heaven. He sent heaven down to earth through that baby, so Jesus could be the bridge that carries us back to God.
What would Mary be like had she rejected God’s plan? What would her faith been like had she rejected His design? What would the world be like if Mary had rejected God’s will?
What would my life be like if I reject Jesus this Christmas? What would yours be like if you can’t accept His invitation to embrace that baby born in a manger who came to carry you back to God?
Welcoming Jesus never plays out like we expect. As Mary discovered, many just don’t understand.
Many will gossip, speculate, and whisper behind our backs.
But God always has the final say. Mary’s life was not only incredibly blessed as Jesus would one day sacrifice His life for hers, but in her daily walk through life God carried her each step of the way. She was never alone.
Embracing Jesus not only guarantees our eternity, it promises we are never alone as we navigate this life.
Maybe, like me, you need to welcome the interruption of Jesus. Whatever He has for you today. Maybe you know Him and need to remind yourself of His love. Maybe, you don’t really know Him and need to stop the chaos of a commercialized Christmas to understand the best reason to celebrate. Whatever your reason, know that He is there, waiting for you and me with welcome arms, ready to embrace us and carry us to God.
Dear Heavenly Father, Thank You for authoring a way for me to be reunited with You. Thank You for authoring a better way to do life, life with You. Help me to slow down, and spend time celebrating and listening to You this wondrous Christmas season. Thank You for Your wonderful gift, the gift of Jesus. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Verses to live by:
God comforts us and reminds us, “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” Deuteronomy 31:6 (NIV)
When other reject our embracement of Jesus, this verse comforts: “Though my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will receive me.” Psalm 27:10 (NIV)