Christmas reminds us to surrender to the good news of a God who is with us. It’s about trust—not a belief that God will work things out as we want, but faith that however God works things out is ultimately what we need and more, what we really want.
Think about the significant things that you are facing in your life. Take a few moments with God to honestly process through your fears about what those things might cost you. Ask Him to show you today how God being with you is going to help you face your fears.
This passage is incredibly difficult to understand and stomach in our culture, but ask yourself one question.
What a great and incredible gift that Mary received, the privilege to carry our promise fulfilled and raise the Son of God! At the same time, what a great cost to Mary’s own personal safety and dreams. In this moment—the first encounter with the angel—Mary already knew what this news would almost certainly cost her. She knew it compromised her hope of being married to her fiancé, the acceptance of her community, and maybe even her very life.
At Christmas, we too receive an incredible gift. We get God’s promise fulfilled, the Son of God. Like Mary, we are told that we will carry Christ inside of us through the power of the Spirit. Yet also like Mary, this great gift comes at great cost to our own personal safety and dreams.
God is going to write a story with your life that glorifies His name, but He does not pretend that it won’t come at a cost.
Mary could face anything because she belonged to God. We too can face anything because there is one thing our obedience will never cost us, and that’s God. Jesus said He will be with us always and never leave us nor forsake us. Let that truth give you the courage to tell God today the words of Luke 1:38.
