Small "Yeses"

Do you ever feel your life is stuck in a routine that is plowing an ever deepening rut? Your daily responsibilities are repeated in drill-like fashion: start the coffee, prepare breakfast, run the washer and dryer, fold the clothes, prepare the next meal, clean the kitchen . . . daily acts of service piled on top of another with little variance. 

Whether you are a mom caring for young children at home or you’re frantically dog-paddling to keep your head above water in the corporate world–we all can relate to the “rut syndrome” when it comes to fulfilling daily responsibilities.

There is a tendency to mindlessly perform these daily duties as our hearts wax cold while plowing the rut–the same can be true of our spiritual routine as well. Sadly, it can become a practice of “checking the box”–doing life in drudgery, rather than discovering the wonder of saying “Yes, Lord” to the small and ordinary. I’ve learned that within the “small yeses” lies the secret to glorifying God with the greater.

When you think about it, Mary’s response to Gabriel’s message was nothing short of amazing. Barely beyond a child, betrothed, a young maiden, a virgin in waiting, and yet, when Gabriel told her she would conceive a son miraculously by the Holy Spirit . . .

She didn’t run.

She didn’t throw up excuses.

She didn’t attempt to dodge the assignment.

She simply said, “Yes.”

“And Mary said, ‘Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word’” (Luke 1:38).

I think Mary’s ready response to this awesome—yet difficult—assignment was prepared in the quiet of daily “yeses.” Do you ever wonder why she was chosen? Why this particular young Jewish woman? Out of all the women of all ages, what qualities did she possess, why did she stand out as worthy for this role?

I think there is more to it than just this basic observation, but I do feel it is noteworthy that she was prepared for this task through her many, humble, daily “yeses.”