In this time of year, we talk about how Mary and Joseph and the birth of Jesus. Mary had a unique experience, she is the only woman in history to have a baby while being a virgin. Mary had an incredible opportunity, but did Mary choose it? Of course, Mary told the angel that she is the Lord’s servant in the book of Luke, but Gabriel didn’t really give Mary or Joseph an option. The angel said “you will have a baby”. It wasn’t an option, Mary was chosen to be the mother of the Savior. I think so often we are in the same boat, that God assigns us, picks us, chooses us and calls us to do something. We are chosen to carry a burden, we are picked to share a message, we are assigned to a ministry or a calling. We didn’t choose it, God calls us to do it, so what is our responsibility in this? Mary didn’t pick to be the mother of the Messiah, but she had a role.
Mary is a woman of faith, she was open to be the Lord’s Servant, she was virtuous and the type of person the Lord would use. Likewise, Joseph was an honest man, a faithful man, a servant of the Lord. Mary and Joseph put themselves in a place where God would use them. They were obedient, they were faithful, they were open to be used by God. This Christmas season, what are we doing? We push so hard to be doing the right things, to be working in the right places, but this Christmas season, we need to take an example from Mary and Joseph. They were faithful in their day to day lives and God showed up in a big way.
This Christmas season, I want to be open to be a blessing. I want to be available, I want to be ready and I want to be found faithful. Praying, loving and caring, being honest and trustworthy and putting myself in a place that God could call me, choose me, use me and do amazing things in my life. I don’t know what God is going to do in the future, I don’t know when Jesus will come back, or when I will enter eternity. Mary had no idea when the Messiah would come, but she just did what she was suppose to do. God was faithful in His promise to bring the Messiah to Israel, and Mary was faithful and found herself chosen to be remembered and celebrated at Christmas. When God shows up in a big way, will He find us being faithful, being honest and open? Will we be the type of people He chooses?