The angel came to her and said, “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you.” —Luke 1:28
Notice that when Gabriel burst into Mary’s life, disrupting her plans, he called her, “Favored woman.” Apparently, Gabriel saw this life-interruption as God’s favor upon Mary. The same is true for us.
God isn’t trying to make our lives miserable when He disrupts our idea of how things should go. Like with Mary, God’s interruptions are often invitations to play a role in the unfolding story that centers on Jesus. He asks us to set aside our plans and let our story get swept up into the bigger story that’s all about God and His people. And like Mary, we have a choice. Will we try to take back control? Or will we surrender?
This Christmas, whether I face big interruptions to my plans or small ones, I want to keep sight of God’s bigger story, which centers on Jesus, not me. Like Mary, I want to cultivate a heart of surrender that says, “I am the Lord’s servant . . . May it happen to me as you have said” (Luke 1:38).
Make it Personal
Which small thing can you surrender today that will help cultivate an attitude that says, “Yes, Lord” to whatever He asks of you?