Say YES!
It is almost Easter and Mary, Jesus' mother is on my mind. Still my thoughts go from the cross bleeding from a 33 year old Son, to the first Christmas where the Savior made His humble entry in a stable.
I encourage you to read the gospel if you haven't before to understand the context for this post. This story can be found in Matthew 2:18-25 and Luke 2:1-20. To recap: a young, engaged woman was approached by an angel and told that she was favored by God. She was to become pregnant and give birth to Jesus, God’s only Son, who would save the world from eternal death. This is truly awesome, albeit catastrophic kind of news. In the vastness of eternity for us-"whew!!" Is an appropriate, yet insufficient response. For this unwed teenager, such an event could have caused her to have been stoned for what society would have understood to be an adulterous act. But, Joseph, Mary's betrothed, decided to divorce her quietly and allow for her life to carry on. More good news is that the angel presented himself to Joseph as well and told him not to fear taking Mary as his wife. The Lord was with them. They both trusted God and carried on in faith despite the supernatural, difficult and unusual circumstances.
Now I doubt Mary had a "birth plan" like people do today but I still am willing to bet things we're not going as she thought it would. They haven't so far. Obviously the pregnancy itself was pretty fantastic, but the birth of Jesus even more so. The couple had to travel from Nazareth to Bethlehem to register for the census. It was here that the labor began. I imagine that Mary felt happy but unready. No doubt! First time mothers, even in the most ideal of situations, hardly feel ready! Mary wasn't at home where I'd assume she expected that she would deliver. She was not surrounded by family and other women in her life but by her fiancé and livestock. I doubt she was banking on being in a stable. Everything probably felt very unready..unfinished. But God saw much that she could not fathom yet! He saw the perfect moment. He saw the glorious opportunity in that seemingly unfinished state to do one of the most remarkable miracles God has done in bringing Jesus Christ into the world to save us!
Do we ever feel ready for God's call? Change seems to pop up in the most inconvenient times of our busy lives. Maybe you're on your way to the top of the corporate ladder and suddenly you're required to step down to pursue an entirely new endeavor, perhaps ministry. Amos was a herdsman and keeper of sycamore figs. (Amos 7:14-15) He was a simple farm man and God showed up one day and called Amos to confront Israel's complacency. Mary was a simple woman and Joseph was a carpenter. Neither were perfect beings but God saw their faithfulness and chose them to nurture Jesus Himself. What seems so unusual or unfinished to us is exactly perfect to the omniscient Lord. The manger may seem to have been a spur of the moment option but it had been the plan since before the dawn of time as we know it.
Our own beings are still sinful and broken but God sees the finished, restored person we are on our way to becoming. “And I am sure of this, That he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” Philippians 1:6. We get discouraged in our unfinished state but He is excited for all that He conquers!! We allow insecurities and lies that yell "you're not good enough" or "you're too much to handle" to hinder our desire to move forward in ministry. Thankfully, God knows that He can use us right now to make extraordinary things happen. We must know this too! We must be confident in this.. We've no need to be insecure about our struggles or imperfections. "His power is made perfect in our weakness" 2 Corinthians 12:9.
For us to do something powerful by His command and aid is His own boast. This is because when God makes big things happen through simple means, He brings glory and honor to Himself. The Lord knows that our obedience to His big charges are part of what molds us into a finished product. He loves us as much in our broken state as He loves the finished product that we become in Him. “For God showed His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8.
God really does want you as you are. Mary had plenty of reasons society would deem "worthy" of saying no to God. Thankfully she was obedient. She said yes to Him! Look how her one "yes" welcomed our Father to come and change everything! Her continued willingness to fight for that yes against the world's opposition nurtured the Savior through life and ministry to the cross. Every time we to say "yes" to God despite whatever other force is saying no, eternity boasts its victory and lives change. That is the power of the Holy Spirit in you!
Come to the cross. Say yes there and be made complete. Fight for that yes and remember that through Jesus "it is finished".