“And Mary said, ‘Behold, I am the servant of the LORD; let it be to me according to Your word.'” Luke 1:38

What a response to the announcement she had just heard from the angel. Some say Mary was incredibly honored to be the recipient of this incredible announcement. Others say it would have been shocking and frightening; a major shake-up in Mary’s life. Probably it was both at the same time. Whatever emotions she was feeling, whatever thoughts were racing through her mind, no doubt her world had just been turned completely upside down. And yet, what do we find in her one sentence response?

Humility. She identifies herself as the servant of the LORD. A servant doesn’t call the shots and control her own destiny. Neither does a servant dwell on her own merit or the difficult path that brought her to this point. A servant carries out the wishes of the Master and focuses on the Master’s purposes, not her own.

Willingness. No arguments, no holding back, no hesitation. She simply says “let it be.”

Courage. No doubt Mary had many unanswered questions, but she was willing to set those aside and step ahead into the future the angel had just spoken to her about.

Acceptance. Acceptance is where peace is found. “Yes, Lord.”

Quietness of heart. No panic, no rushing off to get the ear of some trusted friend. She didn’t ask the angel to hold on a minute while she texted Joseph a message full of shocked emojis. Mary’s quiet heart is revealed in her words.

Faith and Trust. “According to your word.” She believed the words spoken to her. She didn’t have any proof right at that moment; she couldn’t go out and buy a pregnancy test to verify what the angel had said. She responded in faith. And as Elizabeth spoke to her soon afterwards, “Blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.”

Her response is such an example to us as women, as we carry out the plan God has for our lives today. No matter where we find ourselves, overwhelmed or underwhelmed, in a life of excitement or a life of drudgery (or somewhere in between), may we respond each day like Mary did. “Behold, I am the servant of the LORD; let it be to me according to Your word.“

Help us, dear Father, to have the heart that Mary had. Whatever you allow into our lives, whatever Your plans are for us, may we see ourselves as simply Your servants, and with quietness of heart, humbly and courageously follow after Your purposes in our lives.♥

Christmas posts from the TH archives:
My favorite Christmas tradition
“It’s a peaceful and hushed time when the True Meaning of Christmas shines through without any distraction. (Maybe I should say ‘hardly any’ distraction. Of course the baby wants to climb on the table during the singing, and all that sort of thing.)”
On the way into Bethlehem
“Suddenly, one of them commented, ‘Haven’t ya’ll figured out what causes this yet?’  Steve, in an uncharacteristically quick response, replied, ‘Yes, we have. The Lord.'”

P.S. My photographer has made an appearance here again… it definitely shows! Thank you Katelyn for the photos; we have missed your contributions! (More of hers to come soon!) As I have often said, just when your children start to become really useful, they begin to spread their wings and fly…. 😘