Mary did you know?
No, she didn't... but she said yes anyways.
It's so easy to just skim over the story of Jesus's birth, only looking at the surface, only thinking of it as the story you learned in Sunday school. I challenge you this holiday season to dig deeper. I challenge you to remember that this story isn't just a story. It's real, it's SO real. When you re-read the different Sunday school bible stories with this mindset, God may just speak to you in a brand new way. At least that's what happened to me when I decided to re-read the Christmas story this week.
I've been thinking a lot about Mary lately. She wasn't just this invincible, fearless, superwoman who was perfectly equipped to take on any situation at any given moment. No, she was just a normal, God loving, young girl, like you and me. She was just a normal girl who made a not so normal decision to trust that God had a plan for her, and that's what made all the difference.
I think there are quite a few lessons that we as women (yes, even thousands of years later) can learn from Mary...
1. Trust
God didn't have to use Mary. God could have chosen anyone else to mother His son if Mary were to say no. But, she didn't. She said yes. She was scared out of her mind {Luke 1:29}. She had no clue what was in store for her or how this would end but she trusted God even through her fear.
""I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered, "May it be to me as you have said."" -Luke 1:38
Now you may be thinking, "Well God doesn't need another Mary to bear his only begotten son, so I'm in the clear." While this is true, there will be times that you are faced with a decision to trust God even when you may be unsure of where it could lead. You may feel God calling you to go on a mission trip, or to show some love to that one person that no one wants to be around, or to break up with your long-term boyfriend who isn't a Godly example for you. There are so many things that God could call you to do in order to further his kingdom but the thing is, he doesn't need you to further his Kingdom and he doesn't have to have you. He gives you the option to tell him no and believe me, I've considered telling God no a few times but this is where the trust comes in. Sometimes your scared to death as to what might happen but you've just got to say yes anyways because Gods plans, although they may be terrifying, are to give you a hope and a future {Jeremiah 29:11.} God wants what's best for you because not only is he a great God, he's a good God as well.
2. Sacrifice
Just think about all that Mary had to sacrifice when she said yes to Gods crazy plan for her life. First and foremost I'm sure that Mary had her own plans for her future. She was engaged to be married and I'm sure she had her own 'perfect' plans for her and Joseph until God stepped in and rocked her whole world around. Not only did she have to sacrifice her plans, she had to sacrifice her reputation as well. Mary knew that if she said yes to God's request that her reputation would go out the window, but once again, she did it anyways.
Most of the time when God calls us to something it involves a sacrifice. Maybe it's giving up your reputation as "the popular kid," maybe it's losing a friend or two. In my case, God revealed to me that I wasn't doing much to further his Kingdom by the people that I was hanging out with. In my head I thought that I would be the good Christian example that changed them, but they started having a more negative affect on my behavior than the positive affect I was trying to have on them. I had to sacrifice a few friendships in order to serve God to the best of my ability. It may seem hard at the time, like something you totally don't want to do, but in the end Gods plan always works out better than any of your own.
3.FOMO
I don't know about you, but I have a severe case of FOMO (fear of missing out.) I have trouble saying no to people because I'm always afraid that I may miss out on something fun or exiting. I often times end up spreading myself too thin because of it. Now, imagine if we were the same way with God...
Imagine what Mary would have missed out on if she would have said no... Just think about that for a moment.
Now what if we use that mindset when thinking about Gods calling in our own lives. What if we were just as afraid of missing out on God's plans as we are on missing out on our best friends plans? Personally, thinking like that makes it a lot easier for me to say yes to any of God's request.
4. Complete Control
Mary didn't tell God, "Okay yeah, I'll give birth to your son... On these conditions..." She gave God complete control of her whole life, not just parts of it. Imagine how stressed out Mary would have been if she was trying to control everything when she had to travel all the way to Bethlehem just to find out that all of the inns were full and there was nowhere for her to give birth. I know I'd be about a second a way from an intense emotional breakdown. Instead of trying to force things to be perfect, and to go her way like we so often do, she gave God complete control and just went with it. Even when things seemed to be falling apart, God always provided. There may have not been any room at the inn but God made sure that there was room at the manger for the family. It may not have been ideal but it was something and even when they could have been left out in the cold with nothing, God provided.
"Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?" -Matthew 6:26
It's such a scary concept to give someone complete control of your life but once you allow God to have complete control not just giving Him control of certain parts of your life, it's the most comforting feeling that you can feel. You never have to be stressed out about making things perfect or worrying about what decision you should make because God is in control and his way is always the best way.
5. Role Models
I'm sure that Mary had her doubts, but she always had something to remind her that God is good and that he always provides. If she ever had doubts she would consider what God had done for Elizabeth and she event went to her for advice. Knowing that God had provided for Elizabeth gave her the confidence to trust that He would do the same for her. {Luke 1:39-45}
In the same way, when we have doubts about trusting God and his plan for our lives, it's so important to be able to look back and see what God has done in other peoples lives and even your own life. I believe that just as Mary had Elizabeth, it's so so important to have an older mentor, someone who has lived a little longer than you and someone that's already gone through the things that you're currently going through. Listening to their stories and seeing how God has moved in their lives can give you hope and allow you to trust God more because of what he's done for them. Another great way to do this is journaling. I am a firm believer in journaling and it's something that I try to do every single day. By writing down your prayers and your struggles it allows you to look back and see what you've been through and how God has helped you through it even when it seemed hopeless. It allows you to remember all that God has done for you in the past and allows you to trust Him more in the present.
In conclusion, Mary was scared, no not scared, terrified. God had asked her to do something seemingly impossible but she trusted God and said yes, giving Him complete control of her life. Imagine what would have happened had she of said no. I know it's scary giving someone complete control of your life, but trust me, Gods got this!
I hope your all having a Merry Christmas spending time with family and resting in God's goodness. I challenge you this holiday season to reread the story of Jesus's birth with a new mindset opening your hearts and allowing God to show you something you may have never noticed before like he did for me.
Merry Christmas!
-Hannah
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