EVERYDAY ENCOUNTER WITH GOD
Pastor Sylvia's Enconters with God in the Midst of Everyday Life
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ABOUT THE COLUMN Sylvia would love to hear your thoughts about this week's encounter. Please send them to sylvia@pastorsylvia.com |
What Did
She Know This month as we lean toward Christmas, I am
reposting my favorite Advent writings from years past. These are the
newspaper columns that remain true over and over. See if you find them
to fit you today like they still fit me…
A song that has become beloved at Christmas is “Mary
Did You Know.” There were
many things we presume the young Jewish girl didn’t know when she gave
birth to the baby who had come in fulfillment of prophesies uttered by
the Jewish prophets over 700 years earlier. Mary stands apart with valuable lessons for people
like me that don’t like their plans interrupted. She was engaged to a great guy. Both families had
agreed on the marriage. A dowry was determined. The date was
approximated. This bride and groom both came from traditional Jewish
families and surely would have followed the customs of their day. While
Joseph added onto his father’s house so they would have a place to live,
Mary began to sew her wedding dress, trousseau, and assemble things to
make their house a home. Then it all fell apart. No matter how many times I
read the scriptures, the next few passages make me uncomfortable. “And
the angel said unto her, ‘Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favor with
God. And, behold, you shall conceive in thy womb, and
bring forth a son, and shall call his name
Jesus.’” Have you ever made good, reasonable, maybe even
godly plans and had them destroyed because God’s plans for you were
something entirely different? Mary could have experienced a myriad of emotions:
fear, anxiety, doubt, even anger. What about her wedding dress? What
about her groom? This was not her plan, or Joseph’s plan, or anyone
else’s for that matter. By law her betrothed could have her stoned to
death. This pregnancy was much more than a little inconvenient. When God changes my plans without first consulting
me, I feel the swell of rebellion. The word “no” hangs heavy on my lips.
Even when I don’t say it aloud, it is written all over my face. Not Mary. “I am the Lord’s servant. May your word
to me be fulfilled.” (Luke 1:38) It is so easy to forget that, like Mary, you and I
are God’s servants. We are here to fulfill His purposes and not the
other way around. Mary responded with the confidence of someone who
lived in relationship with God. Not a superficial friendship, but a deep
and abiding bond. Her faith was fixated on what He wanted for her life,
not what she wanted. Mary’s story reminds me of two things. First, she couldn’t control anyone else’s opinion
of her in that moment. Mary could and did control her response. When my
plans seem to be falling apart, I need to be intentional in where I look
for support. Humans aren’t perfect; God is. Second, Christmas is usually messier than my high
expectations. The meal isn’t perfectly done all at the same time. Some
family member will inevitably say something that hurts somebody else’s
feelings. A gift over which I labored wasn’t excitedly received.
Something I wanted never materialized at all. But if my only expectation
is to honor the birth of Jesus, I will never be disappointed. Christmas is a time of reflection as well as
celebration. Did Mary understand everything God was doing in her life?
Probably not. Did she resent having her own plans interrupted?
Absolutely not. Mary is a poignant reminder that if we look to God
and put all our expectations on Him, we can never be disappointed. His
plans may look different than the ones we made, but they are always the
right ones.
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Sylvia and Husband John have published a new book,
BOOKS BY SYLVIA
LAURA AND ME; A Sex Offender and Victim Search Together to Understand, Forgive, and Heal
THE RED DOOR; Where Hurt and Holiness Collide
Availible at Amazon and Barns and Noble