Then He Left Her

I must confess to paying little attention to Jesus' mother, Mary, when she is mentioned in the Bible. Because she is almost always mentioned in the context of her son, The Son of God, my focus has been on what those passages tell me about my Messiah. This Christmas, however, I paid attention.

In Luke 1, the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary to tell her how her life was about to change. Mary understandably freaked out for a minute or two, asking all of the obvious questions. Gabriel answered each one and Mary ultimately surrendered her will to the plan of God:

"I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered, "May it be to me as you have said."
Very brave answer, in my opinion. Here's where my interest was piqued, though. No sooner did she utter these words then the angel who brought such incredible news did the most frustrating thing: He left.

Left!

Here's a teenage girl who has apparently lived her life in such a way that God took notice. She was betrothed, as any upstanding young woman in her culture was at the time, to an upstanding man in her community. Her life was just beginning! Then an angel came and delivered news that would turn her life upside-down. Even so, she accepted it. Yet, as soon as she began to wrap her brain around the concept of being the mother of the Messiah, the only one who could tell her what to do next left.

Left!

The reason this has stuck with me is that this is exactly the situation we can find ourselves in when we feel God calling us to make a change in our lives. We may feel convicted to become more involved in serving in our local church through teaching Sunday school or helping with Awanas, for example, or maybe we have been struck with the need to take better care of our "temples". Then, the minute we make that commitment we are struck with the challenges we may face as we seek to fulfill that commitment. God convicts us, we submit, then -BAM- we're on our own to actually do the thing we said we'd do.

Many of us use this time of year to review our habits and commitments of the past year and resolve to make some positive changes. We may even pray about them and truly believe God wants us to make those changes in our lives. We'll commit to them then -BAM- one week later, we're filled with guilt and regret at our failure to follow through. Obviously, I've experienced this scenario more times than I will ever admit to anyone!

This year, I would like to make some positive changes in my life and believe those changes are fully based on how the Bible teaches me to live. I am convicted to make those changes and I desire to follow through. I am so glad the Lord revealed through Mary's example some ways I can be successful, even when I'm on my own to see things through.

1. Seek out support.

Once the angel left, Mary packed and hurried to Elizabeth's house. They were both facing pregnancies that would shock their communities. They helped each other through the tough stuff.

Finding others who are on our same path of change to take the journey with can be the greatest success tool there is. There's nothing like having someone to celebrate and commiserate with who knows exactly what you're going through.

2. Stay positive.

Mary focused on the blessing she was receiving, not on the upheaval caused by an unexpected pregnancy. (v46-47, 49)

We can keep our minds on the positive aspects of the changes we are making. For example, if we commit to teaching a Bible Study once a week, we could focus on how much time we have to spend preparing or we can appreciate how much time we now make to study God's word. What a gift we give ourselves when we spend more time in Bible study!

3. Keep the result in mind.

Mary praised God and knew that she would be revered for all generations to come for the sacrifice she was making now. (v.48)

What will our lives look like once we are successful in our quest for improvement? How will our friends and family see us differently when we meet a goal we set for ourselves? Will these changes improve our relationships? Those are all great things to keep in focus!

4. Focus on others, not yourself.

Mary could have become self-indulgent through her entire pregnancy. After all, she was giving birth to the Word made Flesh! Who would fault her for wanting to have someone rub her swollen ankles or maybe even sleep in? Instead, she made herself useful in Elizabeth's home. Using my limited math abilities, it appears Mary was told of her pregnancy in Elizabeth's sixth month and stayed with Elizabeth for three months. Sounds like she stayed until John the B. was born to me. How nice it must have been for Elizabeth to have someone to help her with the household chores during her last trimester.

When we face challenges and changes, it can be easy to fall into a mode of self-pity. Feeling sorry for ourselves because we feel deprived, restricted or whatever gets us nowhere and sets us up for failure. Instead, we can turn our energies toward blessing others. If we decide to fast once a week, how about serving a meal at a shelter that day? If we start feeling overwhelmed by leading a study group, we can stop and write a note to a member of the group, encouraging them to keep up with their studies. That's the crux of loving our neighbors as ourselves, I think; placing their needs before our own.

I'll be keeping Mary's example in mind as I face changes in my life in the coming weeks. If you, too, are planning to make some life improvements, I hope these ideas help you as your journey begins. Blessings!