Text by Inah De Guia Tolentino
Read:
Luke 1:38 (NASB)
And Mary said, “Behold, the Lord’s bond-servant; may it be done to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.
Reflect:
Mary’s a young woman who had her whole life ahead of her. She’s betrothed to Joseph and was about to start a family with him soon.
Then, on a seemingly random night, an angel appeared to her. Angel Gabriel told her how God highly favors her that the Holy Spirit will come upon her. She will conceive and give birth to the Son of the Most High.
Scccrrreeccchhhh… whatever future Mary had ever imagined, safe to say – this isn’t it.
But what changed Mary’s life is NOT just the news of her miraculous conception, but her complete and utter yield to this very drastic turn of events. I don’t think she knew the pain she would have to endure later, as a mother who would see her son crucified. I doubt she understood the sacrifices she had to make to raise a son who wasn’t her own, but God’s.
Mary may not know a lot of things. Yet, at that moment, she willingly and abandonly surrendered the rest of her life to the will of God.
Just as with Mary, things don’t always turn out the way we planned. Our lives can change in a moment: an accident, diagnosis, death, pregnancy, rejection, a new opportunity….
How about you? What moment changed the course of the rest of your life?
In mine, when my husband had a freak accident at a Christmas Party, his 16-year career as a seafarer ended. Since then, he’s been enjoying his role as a full-time dad. When we learned that an infant was in need of a family, our lives welcomed a new daughter. She’s now six years old, and our family’s source of joy.
Life is like an endless advent calendar – it’s full of surprises! Some are good, some don’t look too good.
Whatever God has in store for us, may we be so lowly-hearted like Mary that we see ourselves as bond-servants to the Most High. We yield and surrender right here, right now. Yes, we may still experience losses and heartaches, but His grace suffices. And because our God is good, our obedience may grant us blessings available only in the pathway that He prepared for us.
Respond:
Have a checklist of your dreams and aspirations. Imagine if God asks you to leave it all, will you still be willing to follow Him? Can you completely forgo your own plans in exchange for His?
Just like Mary, let’s aim to live a life completely yielded to our sovereign and loving God.
Inah is a mother, a wife, a world traveler, a trainer, a public speaking coach, a writer, and a legit lipstick hoarder. She's passionate about sharing the gospel to people from around the globe. She gets to do that by working in international companies that employ people from very diverse cultures. She loves that the Word of God is always alive and true. She believes that the Bible is a narrative of His promises fulfilled - the same promises that still ring true to our lives today.
AUTHOR: INAH DE GUIA TOLENTINO