When I taught teenage girls small group a few years back, I asked them to imagine getting the
\nnews that Mary received when she was visited by the angel. For them, stepping into Mary’s
\nshoes would be a small step. Most of them are in circumstances similar to Mary’s in many
\nways:
\nThey are young, innocent, from deeply religious families–on the brink of adult life, but not quite
\nready.
\nWhat would their response be if they were told that they would become pregnant–
\nsupernaturally, but out of wedlock? How would they feel to receive today the news that Mary
\ngot? God Himself was going to be placed within her, grow, expand her, pain her as she
\nbrought Him into the world…and ultimately save us all.
\nHow would they react if they received this news:
\n“God is going to use you to save the world. It is going to hurt on every level.
\nBut\u2014GOD is going to use YOU to save the world.”
\nMy point in stirring their imaginations was to show them the beauty of Mary’s response. Faced
\nwith such daunting, life-altering news, she sang the Magnificat–a beautiful hymn of praise,
\ntrust and celebration.
\n“Blessed am I….”
\nToday as I sit in the quiet and think on the nativity again, I am floored by this thought:
\nI’m no teenager, but I am more like Mary than I realize.
\nHaving repented and followed Christ, I am like Mary in that I received God within me through
\nthe indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
\nGod Himself is within me, and if I allow it–if I nourish and attend to the Spirit, He will grow and
\nstretch me. As a result, I’ll experience great excitement, purpose, anticipation and joy–but the
\nstretching will also bring discomfort.
\nWhen I share the Spirit in me with the world, it will very likely cause me pain. This world is
\ncertainly a place that often shouts, “No room!” to His presence. The current culture has no
\nproblem with the Universe looking out for me, but squirms if I claim the God of the universe
\ndoes. Therefore, for me–an educated woman from an intellectual and scientific community– to
\nfollow the God of the Bible will no doubt bring me disdain in the eyes of many whom I value.
\nDisdain hurts.
\nSo, I realize today I must ask myself the same question I asked the teenagers:
\nWhat will my response be to the news that God has chosen me to carry His Son to the world?
\nWill I fear the discomfort, attempt to escape the pain, and lament the heavy load I carry within?
\nOr will I–in spite of it all–be awed by the reality that God would use me to save the world.
\nMe.
\nOh, Jesus, let the words and heart of that young Mary also be the response of this old Mary:
\n“Oh, how my soul praises the Lord. How my spirit rejoices in God my Savior! For he took
\nnotice of his lowly servant girl….”<\/p>\n
Written by Grace Oviedo member Mary Odell.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" When I taught teenage girls small group a few years back, I asked them to imagine getting the news that Mary received when she was visited by the angel. For…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":44,"featured_media":13657,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[],"post_folder":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-13656","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-christian-life"},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n