{"id":131,"date":"2015-11-30T19:22:50","date_gmt":"2015-11-30T19:22:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/yourmorningcupofinspiration\/?p=131"},"modified":"2015-11-30T19:22:50","modified_gmt":"2015-11-30T19:22:50","slug":"i-am-the-lords-servant-mary-answered","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/yourmorningcupofinspiration\/2015\/11\/i-am-the-lords-servant-mary-answered.html","title":{"rendered":"\u201cI am the Lord\u2019s servant,\u201d Mary answered."},"content":{"rendered":"

This Sunday at church, we had an awkward moment.\u00a0 While giving the children\u2019s sermon, the pastor asked the kids, \u201cWhen the angel came to visit the girl, Mary, what good news did he have for her?\u201d Listening on the altar steps were some girls who were around 12-years-old, roughly the same age as Mary would have been.\u00a0 Looking at those girls made the pastor\u2019s question uncomfortable for those of us sitting in the pews.\u00a0 The reality was that Mary was an unmarried, 12-year-old girl in ancient Israel, and being told that she was pregnant simply was not<\/em> good news<\/em>.\u00a0 When we talk about the Christmas story, we like to gloss over that fact, but we shouldn\u2019t.<\/p>\n

The Bible itself glosses over the drama of this situation.\u00a0 In Luke 1:38, after being told she is going to have a baby, Mary responds to the angel Gabriel by saying, \u201cI am the Lord\u2019s servant \u2026 May your word to me be fulfilled.\u201d Mary\u2019s response, however, is not as simple as it sounds, and we shouldn\u2019t miss the lesson in it.<\/p>\n

Like Mary, we sometimes face situations that are unexpected.\u00a0 Sometimes life doles out circumstances that are unfair or hard.\u00a0 It is easy to feel overwhelmed and alone.<\/p>\n

Mary\u2019s response to the angel Gabriel is a lesson for us all in how to respond to life\u2019s difficult situations: I am the Lord\u2019s servant.<\/em>\u00a0 That means, \u201cMy focus is solely on serving God.\u00a0 I will not be distracted by worry or fear of what may come.\u00a0 I know that whatever happens, God will work out all things out for my benefit.\u201d\u00a0 When we respond to challenges in this manner, we equip ourselves with the ability to overcome any obstacle.<\/p>\n

Of course, having Mary\u2019s attitude is easier said than done.\u00a0 We\u2019ve all had those moments when we have thought, \u201cWill I make it out of this situation okay?\u00a0 Is God with me?\u201d\u00a0 Because in scary moments, like Mary\u2019s, God seems very far away.<\/p>\n

That is why Mary\u2019s response was so perfect.\u00a0 She eliminated all the stuff that clouds our vision when we face a difficulty.\u00a0 Her response didn\u2019t include \u201cWhat ifs?\u201d and \u201cWhy me’s?\u201d\u00a0 Mary had tunnel vision.\u00a0 She was focused like a laser on her calling: I am the Lord\u2019s servant.<\/em>\u00a0 She was not going to let herself be distracted by the multitude of problems that she faced: She was engaged to be married.\u00a0 She was supposed to be a virgin.\u00a0 And she was being put in a situation whose explanation would be implausible to everyone.<\/p>\n

Mary instead\u00a0focused on the task at hand \u2013 being a servant of God.\u00a0 When we focus on serving God, miraculously life seems a lot less complex and scary.\u00a0 We aren\u2019t burdened with the futile effort of trying to solve all our problems (and everyone else\u2019s).\u00a0 We don\u2019t have to spend our time fretting over every possible bad outcome to our situation.\u00a0 Instead, we can focus our minds solely on one thing – serving God.\u00a0 Having that one task makes life a whole lot easier.<\/p>\n

When we are servants of God, every moment of our day is laid out for us.\u00a0 We are either loving others or not.\u00a0 We are either acting with compassion or not.\u00a0 We are either treating others with kindness and gentleness or not.\u00a0 We are either being God\u2019s representatives on earth or not.\u00a0 It is just that simple.<\/p>\n

As we go through the Advent season, consider Mary.\u00a0 Consider using her example to guide you through the challenges that you face in your life.\u00a0 Cast your worries and fears to God, and live with the single mantra: I am the Lord\u2019s servant.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This Sunday at church, we had an awkward moment.\u00a0 While giving the children\u2019s sermon, the pastor asked the kids, \u201cWhen the angel came to visit the girl, Mary, what good news did he have for her?\u201d Listening on the altar steps were some girls who were around 12-years-old, roughly the same age as Mary would…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":593,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-131","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n\u201cI am the Lord\u2019s servant,\u201d Mary answered. - Your Morning Cup of Inspiration<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/yourmorningcupofinspiration\/2015\/11\/i-am-the-lords-servant-mary-answered.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"\u201cI am the Lord\u2019s servant,\u201d Mary answered. - 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