By: Allison Brost
Mary was willing.
I think that’s a fact we often miss in the Christmas story.
Mary—young, unmarried, unsuspecting of any greater plans or purpose for her life—had to first express her willingness to accept God’s will over her own. In Luke 1:38 she does just this, declaring , “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.”
This parallel between Mary and Jesus struck me deeply this week as I made my way through our reading of Matthew 24-29.
Because Mary wasn’t the only one who had to be willing… Jesus did, too.
Jesus himself had to come to this place of acceptance, setting aside his own will to submit to the sovereign will of the Father. In Matthew 26:42 you can hear his own anguished acceptance, “My Father! If this cup cannot be taken away unless I drink it, your will be done.” His anguish was so deep, in fact, that the gospels actually tell us he sweated drops of blood.
And I don’t imagine Mary’s acceptance to have been any easier.
The disappointment and rejection she faced from friends and family. The cultural stigma associated with having a child outside of marriage. The let-down and letting go of her own dreams, her own plans, the way she’d been imagining her own life to unfold.
And instead accepting a run-down manager, an overcrowded inn, a community that simply had no room—in their hearts or in their homes—for the Savior of the world.
Yet it is here we find in our own acceptance—in our letting go and letting unfold of his will in place of our own—that we discover ultimate joy.
In the cradling of the Savior of the world in human hands. In the coming of a Messiah who meets us right in our dirtiest and lowliest of places. And ultimately, in a cross.
Really, a manager and a cross aren’t so different when you stop and think of it. Both crude, both wooden, both simple and unassuming.
And yet it is here—in our acceptance of the unexpected avenues of God’s will—that we ultimately find our own gateway for joy.
In the manager moments of God’s plans for our life. In the confusion and concealed goodness of our unexpected and unplanned. And even in our crosses, reminding us that oftentimes our greatest heartaches are the spaces where God works His greatest miracles.
As we finish out this Advent season, this is my heart for you: that you surrender to his sovereign will in your unexpected spaces and willingly accept the gifts He’s given—yes, even in the shape of a rough manager or a run-down inn and even in a cross.
Our willingness makes space for His faithfulness. Faithfulness to show up and show us that no matter how they are packaged, God is always surrounding us with good gifts.
The question for us is simply this: will we receive?
Lord, I pray that in this season and beyond, you’d help me to receive the goodness of the gifts you have for me right here. When my eyes are tempted to overlook the everyday miracles you’ve surrounded me with, when I’m blinded to your goodness in the hard and heavy seasons of life, open my eyes to see your kindness and faithfulness every step of the way. Lord, help me to simply surrender, trusting that even in the hidden, unexpected, and unplanned spaces of my life, you are slowly revealing the greatest gift of all—knowing You. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Dig Deeper
Reflection Questions:
How does the parallel between Mary and Jesus' willingness speak to you?
What areas of your life do you feel God calling you to accept His will?
How can your acceptance of God's will open your eyes to His gifts?
Further Reading:
Matthew 26
Luke 1
Verses to Meditate On:
Luke 1:38
Matthew 26:42
Allison Brost is the author of “Grateful: 30 Days of Growing in Thankfulness” (The Good Book Company, February 2025) and an independent singer/songwriter from Janesville, WI. She loves to share daily encouragement online for those journeying in their faith at This Side of Perfect. Her passion is to share words of hope—through both books and song—that can point people to Jesus and uplift the church. When she’s not busy homeschooling her kids or leading worship, you can find her sitting outside, most likely with a cup of tea in hand.
Comentários