I am the Lord’s servant. May your word to me be fulfilled.
—Luke 1:38
When most of us think of Jesus’ birth, we think of Mary. We know her as the mother of Jesus, a woman who is called “blessed among women.” Yet we often don’t think of Mary in terms of her sacrifice.
When the angel of the Lord visited Mary, she was already engaged to Joseph. If she agreed to bear Jesus, her pregnancy would show in a matter of months and everyone would believe she’d broken her betrothal vows. Joseph would surely divorce her, and she could well be stoned to death under Jewish law. Her life would be ruined and probably taken from her.
Despite this, Mary didn’t question the angel or voice any worries she had. Instead, she simply asked, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” When the angel explained the Holy Spirit would come upon her and make the pregnancy possible, Mary trusted his word. Not only that, she immediately responded: “I am the Lord’s servant. May your word to me be fulfilled.”
Only one woman was ever chosen to carry and mother God’s Son, but God asks us to make sacrifices or do things we think are impossible every day. Sometimes His requests carry risks for us. We might be laughed at or lose something or someone important to us, like a job or a spouse. Yet God promises that His servants’ obedience will be rewarded many times in the Bible and that He’ll be with us through trials.
Will you follow Mary’s example and obey God in a new, maybe radical way today?
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