We can learn a few things from Mary

“I am the Lord’s servant, may your word to me be fulfilled.”

Luke 1:38

These were the words that came out of Mary’s mouth after she found out she was going to give birth to Jesus. I love Mary’s heart. I was reading through the first chapter of Luke, and those words just made me think about a few things.

What a beautiful answer. It honestly made me question how I respond to whatever I might feel God is calling me to do. God will call us to do hard things, crazy things, He might promise things that might seem impossible, but that’s just how God is. He is always calling us to step into the unknown, life with Him really is a crazy, unpredictable journey. Mary’s life is one of many examples, i mean, think about it…an angel just appeared to her and basically said, “Hey just letting you know God knows you and He’s been pleased with your life, so you’ve been chosen to give birth to the savior of the world”, no big deal right? (I’m being sarcastic) . Oh, and let’s not forget, she was a virgin! You can tell Mary had a close relationship with her creator, her response says it all.

God had a mission for Mary, and He has one for every individual person. Yeah, it might not require giving birth to a baby who will save the world, but it might be moving from your hometown to serve at an organization, or going to a different country to serve as a missionary. It might be starting that business you have always wanted, or going to college to work in the medical field, I’m just throwing ideas out here. Whatever it is you might feel God calling you to do (no matter how big or small), I hope your response is just like Mary’s.

What are some promises God has given you? What do you feel He is leading you to? It might be something crazy, maybe you’ve told a couple of people and they’ve told you it’s crazy. Here’s a little tip, not everyone needs to know what God has promised you in secret. I’d like to apologize because I never use this word but, “haters” really do exist. They are out there. They might tell you, you’re dreaming too big and that you need to be realistic, or that the goal is impossible to reach.

After Mary was given her promise, the first person she went to look for was Elizabeth (she also has a crazy story, it’s all in Luke 1). As soon as Elizabeth heard Mary, the Bible says she was filled with the Holy Spirit and He revealed to her what had just happened, (what a relief for Mary, imagine having to explain that). At that moment, they were both in tune with the Spirit, in tune with God. We need friends who are in tune with God and His word. I love the encouragement Elizabeth gives to Mary in verse 45, “Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord will fulfill His promise to Her!” We all need Elizabeth’s in our life’s. We need people who will encourage us, believers who will believe with us and walk with us.

We can learn a few things from Mary in this story. One, having a heart of a servant, to be willing to do what God is calling us to do. It might not be something crazy, maybe it’s something simple like loving that coworker who is rude to you all the time. Two, believing the promises God has given us, no matter the season or how crazy they might seem. His word never returns void, like Gabriel told Mary “No word from God will ever fail”, Luke 1:37. And last, but not least, surrounding yourself with other dreamers, they might not have the same calling as you, but they will believe with you and for you whenever times get tough. This walk with God is a journey like no other, but through it all He is faithful and He will complete what He started.