“Then Mary said, ‘Here I am, the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.’” (Lk. 1:38)
When the angel Gabriel came to Mary with the invitation to give birth to God’s Son, she said yes. If she hadn’t said yes, Jesus may never have been born, at least not from her womb.
We don’t know if God had invited other women before Mary. All we know is that she agreed to bear God’s child.
God gives us opportunities to give birth to His presence—through serving, loving, forgiving, and sharing. Are we more inclined to say yes or no? Cooperate or refuse? Be excited or duck?
If Mary had said no, just imagine all that could have been lost. Try to think about this world and your life without Jesus. It’s not a pretty picture.
If we say no to God’s invitation to “give birth” to His presence, just think about all that could be lost. Again, not pretty.
I encourage us to listen for those opportunities to bring more of God’s presence into the world. If we’re not hearing or seeing those opportunities, we may not be listening or paying attention.
When we do hear or see how God might be inviting us to give birth to His love and peace and hope, I encourage us to respond like Mary: “Here I am, the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.”
Mary’s response is the single most important thing any human being has ever uttered. So much was at stake. The relationship between God and His children was hanging in the balance.
When Mary said yes, God rejoiced, the angels danced, and hope was born. May I encourage us to say yes to God. When we do so, God rejoices, the angels dance, and hope is born anew.
Reflection Questions:
- Can you remember a time when you said yes to God? Did you know that saying yes to God is the single most important things we can say? How do you think God responded when you did so?
- Can you remember a time when you said no to God? A time when you refused to do what you felt God was calling you to do? If so, please remember that God will always give you another chance. What are you going to do now?
- When you say yes to life, love, and hope, you are saying yes to God. When you say no to kindness, generosity and fairness, you are saying no to God. Moving forward with your life, how could you increase the times you say yes and decrease the times you say no?