"And Mary said, 'Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.' and the angel departed from her." Luke 1:38
My 9 year old daughter recently asked me some pretty tough theological questions about the virgin birth, questions that could only be answered by faith and faith alone. Among her many questions, she asked, "What if Mary didn't want to have a baby?" This question had me thinking for awhile. Quite honestly, it got me thinking about how many times I have wanted to say "No" to God when he has asked me to do something that was difficult, inconvenient, scary, or intimidating. But to carry the very Son of God, the Holy One, the Savior of all Mankind? I think if God had asked me, I would have said, "I'm sorry, but I think you've made a mistake. I'm not the right person for this job." Immediately following, I probably would have checked myself into a psychiatric unit!
The real issue is that if we knew what God had planned for us and what He was going to ask us to do ahead of time, we just might say, "No". But, God is in the business of preparing hearts and equipping bodies. Throughout the bible, God has chosen countless ordinary people to do extraordinary things...things that would never have been possible without Him. Oftentimes, we forget that these are not just stories in the bible. His word lives and breathes. God does amazing things every day in and through the people we know, even you and me. We are all capable of greatness because we have the Breath of Heaven, the Holy Spirit, within us. All we need is a willing heart and spirit. All we need to do is say "Yes" and mean it.
At my church last year, the pastor was doing a "year in review" and he asked us to think about how we define ourselves before we began to think about our goals for the coming year. He said how we define ourselves will determine what we value, where we place our time and energy, how we spend our money...how we live. We can use the last year as an indicator of how we defined ourselves, and it usually boils down to things that are very worldly. But, what if we defined ourselves like Mary did, as a servant of the Lord? Can you imagine how the posture of our hearts would shift, and as a result, how our lives would change? Think about how that might have a ripple effect on the people we surround ourselves with...even the teller at the bank or the server at the restaurant? Then, think bigger. What if we opened ourselves up to the possibility of greatness and that our very destiny (and the destiny of mankind) hinged on a simple "Yes" to God.
Heavenly Father, we come to you amazed. As we look at your word, we see countless examples of ordinary people who did extraordinary things simply because they allowed themselves to be used by you. Forgive us for the times we have said "No" to you out of fear, doubt, insecurity, or selfishness. Help to create a willing heart and spirit within us, Lord. Let us not stand in the way of your will. Equip us as you have called us and let us give you all of the Glory you deserve. Amen.
Now, sit back, listen, and imagine the possibilities.
