for such a time as this: "I am the Lord's servant. May it be to me as you have said." Luke 1:38

Saturday, October 30, 2010

"I am the Lord's servant. May it be to me as you have said." Luke 1:38

And Mary said: "My soul glorifies the Lord

and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,

for he has been mindful

of the humble state of his servant.

From now on all generations will call me blessed,

for the Mighty One has done great things for me—

holy is his name.

His mercy extends to those who fear him,

from generation to generation.

He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;

he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.

He has brought down rulers from their thrones

but has lifted up the humble.

He has filled the hungry with good things

but has sent the rich away empty.

He has helped his servant Israel,

remembering to be merciful

to Abraham and his descendants forever,

even as he said to our fathers."

Luke 1:46-55

This is Mary's response to the angel Gabriel when he told her that she, a virgin, was going to give birth to God's Son. I wonder what I would have said if Gabriel had told me I was going to give birth to Jesus. Would I have been as honored as Mary? Would I have been overjoyed by this news?

I think back over my life. How have I responded to what the Lord has presented to me? What if 10 years ago an angel had appeared to me and said I was going to give birth to a baby girl with DiGeorge Syndrome and that she would have heart surgery as a newborn? Would I have seen it as an honor that he entrusted me with this precious life?

Mary sets an incredible example for me. Her acceptance of God's will despite the unknown and seemingly impossible is astounding. Mary was not a superhero as many make her out to be. She was a regular young girl who walked closely with the Lord. Luke 1:29 says she was "greatly troubled at [Gabriel's] words." She felt fear. She asks one question to clarify the impossible: How can I have a baby when I'm still a virgin? Her question is not one of disbelief but of clarification. Not once does she argue or show dissatisfaction. No whining. No complaining.

In God's graciousness, he did not tell Mary all that she would experience... all that would happen to her precious Son. She had no idea when Gabriel said, "He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High" that she would watch her adult son be brutally murdered to save all mankind from their sins. I am so grateful for God's grace in my life. He only gives me a bit at a time even though to me it may feel overwhelming. Had he told me that I would have to leave the hospital with an empty carseat and follow an ambulance that carried my child to Children's Medical Center, I wouldn't have been able to handle it. I felt like I was drowning as it was. Had he given me a vision of what I would have seen after her heart surgery when she was 6 days old, I would have probably screamed in protest. In his loving-kindness, he protects and shades us. He only gives us a bit at a time even though to us it feels like way too much sometimes.

My prayer is that whatever the Lord places in my life, whatever door he opens or closes, I will respond by saying, "I am the Lord's servant. May it be to me as you have said," just as Mary said.