We often don’t know if our yes or no will change things much. But sometimes it does. Mary’s yes, changed the world.
Can you imagine a world without Jesus?
A world where he was never born?
A world where our sins were not forgiven?
A world where grace and love were not free commodities?
Can you imagine an angel appearing in your room at night?
Asking you to jeopardize your future?
Asking you to disgrace yourself and your family?
Telling you not to be afraid as you tremble with trepidation and awe?
Can you imagine that your first response would be a willing yes?
And not an emphatic no, or are you crazy?
Or a listing of why this was surely not a good idea?
Or a long listing of reasons why you were not qualified?
Can you imagine being God and coming down in human form?
Growing 9 months inside a crowded stomach?
Born to a poor couple in a crowded stable?
Born to inexperienced and nervous parents?
Can you imagine living in a world constrained with time, gravity, hunger, pain, temperature, and forces you have never experienced?
Can you imagine learning to walk, talk, read, and tying your sandals, all things foreign to your previous life?
How would you feel about obeying human and mistake prone parents?
Can you imagine seeing the world you have created filled with sin, pain, hopelessness, and yet still beautiful with laughter ringing out?
How many times did Mary wonder if God had made a mistake choosing her?
How many times did Mary wonder if she was doing a good job?
How many times did Mary wonder where this all was heading?
How many sleepless nights did Mary worry about not being enough, doing enough?
What did Mary think when they fled in the dark to Egypt?
Heard baby boys were killed back home?
Felt the gossip from her unwed pregnancy whispered for years?
Touched and smelled the extravagant gifts of the Magi?
Did she wonder in the quiet spaces where all of this was heading?
If the daily mundane was really part of her yes?
Did she weary of all the cooking, sewing, and cleaning that never seemed done?
Did she wonder if she was making a difference as she tucked him into bed?
But it did make a difference.
It was all part of the plan.
Ultimately saying yes to God’s request, changed Mary’s life.
Changed her world and the course of history.
Changed our world.
Changed the course of salvation.
May had no idea how her yes would change her, her future, and eventually the world. She just stepped out in faith and said yes, trusting the future was in God’s hands. She didn’t argue. She didn’t question. She just said a simple yes to God’s plan. Then she followed the course. Years would pass before she understood or saw the good that her yes would bring.
What about you?
What is God asking you to do?
Can you say step out in faith and say yes to God’s plan for you?
Can you imagine what he can do through you?
It won’t always be easy. You probably won’t know the future. You will doubt, despair, and worry because you are human, but you will never be alone, or without knowing what the next step is. He will provide the strength and skills to do what he is calling you to do. He has got this. He knows all about being human and will be the best master there is.
Can you imagine a world without Jesus?
A world where he was never born?
A world where our sins were not forgiven?
A world where grace and love were not free commodities?
The good news is that you don’t have to.
Rejoice, be thankful, and feel remarkably blessed.
Because you are.
We all are.
Merry Christmas!
Thanks for stopping by. Keep remembering what’s important.
Theresa
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Join the Discussion: What would it be like if Mary had not said yes?
May link up at Kelly Balarie (#purposeful faith), Crystal Storms (#HeartEncouragement), Maree Dee (#Grace & Truth), Anita Ojeda (#inspirememonday), InstaEncouagements ((IE Link-Up), and Mary Geison (#tellhisstory).
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I have wondered about Mary’s feelings a lot. I can’t imagine her heartache. Have a wonderful Christmas.
I never thought much about Mary until the last time I was pregnant. And then I started thinking about her. Every year I tend to think about her around Christmas. More so now as a mom. She intrigues me. Have a wonderful Christmas too!
Theresa,
So happy to find your blog. I love your tagline, “Find humor and remember what’s important”. I’m looking forward to exploring your site!
Thanks Moira. I sure appreciated your post about letting go of perfectionism. Merry Christmas and peace to you and yours.
This is a superb posting. Did you ever notice that God gave Mary the choice of saying yes or no? However, God told Joseph “go and marry Mary. It is OK.” God, Mary, and Joseph: fascinating personalities! Anxious to meet all three. Another excellent posting. Cannot get enough of this writer’s work.
Colleen, what a great observation. Very interesting. Wow, that has got me thinking. Merry Christmas and blessings to you.
I’m so thankful that Mary said yes! I don’t like imaging a world without Jesus. Yikes. It’s hard to believe sometimes that Jesus can do important things with our yes’s too, but he can! Thanks for sharing this. Hope you have a wonderful Christmas, Theresa.
It is a scary thought thinking about Mary saying no, or a world without Jesus. Merry Christmas to you too, Lisa.
Beautiful encouragement, Theresa, of the weight of our yes answers to God and the trust needed when we can’t see where that yes will lead. Wishing you and yours sweet Christmas blessings!
Thanks Crystal. May you Christmas be merry and joyful.
Many a question, many an unknown answer, and many are those still a question to many. May we share Christ as God gives us the opportunities and may some of those questions receive a nod of at least some understanding.
This post is beautiful for I have asked many of those questions, having pondered Mary’s circumstances, her youth, her powerful response to God. And I am still amazed how God used her to bring Jesus to us.
May your Christmas me filled with the heart of Christ.
I never thought much about Mary until I was pregnant, and then I had lots of questions about her and how her pregnancy and yes changed her life. None of us go into pregnancy really knowing how a baby and motherhood will change our life forever, and she had to have been the same. She is one of those people I would love to interview.
Merry Christmas, Linda. May we keep our focus on Him.
What a beautiful tree.
Thanks Susan. All the bright colors and whimsey caught my eye.
Oh, Theresa, I do not even want to think about what the world would be like if Mary had not said yes. I loved how you first ask us to consider questions about the day-to-day lives of the people we read about in the Gospels, then turn the same questions to ask us to examine our own day-to-day lives. What a wonderful reminder that our God is a god of “YES!”
Yes. It is a sobering thought to think about. Mary was given a choice. May we have the courage to say yes to God’s choices he asks of us.
I love all your questions in this post – so thought-provoking and deeply meaningful! Theresa, I’m thrilled and honored to meet you through the Grace & Truth linkup. Thanks to you, I now think of “Mary” Christmas! 🙂
Good to meet you too, Kim. Love your play on words. 🙂
Theresa, I think sometimes we rush through the Christmas story because we’ve heard it so many times, we miss the joy of pondering the reality of things. You so skillfully guide us to contemplate Mary’s reality and just how important her “yes” was! Thank you!
You are so right about rushing through the story, Donna. Thinking we have heard it before.
I am so thankful and grateful Mary said yes. I have thought about her thoughts and feelings a lot. Merry Christmas.
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Merry Christmas, Paula.