From the YouVersion Bible App Devotional, “An Unexpected Christmas”

Day 2: The Unplanned

You may be familiar with the next portion of the story. You’ve likely heard of the virgin Mary. It’s tempting to consider her as just another character in a story. But consider for a moment the real Mary.

She was a teenager. She didn’t have an iPhone. She wasn’t studying for her SAT or considering her choice of colleges. As a first-century Jewish girl, she knew what the future would hold for her. She’d soon marry a nice guy from the village and raise a family. Within this context, the story of the first Christmas continues.

In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be.  But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.” “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?” The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. For no word from God will ever fail.” “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.(Luke 1:26–38)

This was not part of Mary’s plan. Can you imagine Mary as a teenager grasping the weight of this conversation? First, an angel appeared to her. She had to wonder, Did that really just happen?Then she had to face the reality of what this news would mean for her. She had to consider, What will Joseph think? Then, What will my parents say?

Despite uncertainty or fear, Mary responded that she was willing to do whatever the Lord asked of her. She showed her willingness to trust God even when it cost her something. With her words, Mary displayed her heart to serve God and not herself.

Mary would have never written this plan for herself. But it was part of God’s plan. It was part of a great story God was revealing… in histiming and in his way. 

This past year has had unplanned moments for all of us. For some of us, the unplanned moments were inconveniences. For others, this unplanned season has left us hurting, grieving, or concerned for our future.

An angel may not appear to you this Christmas season. But, as followers of Jesus, we will all be faced with a choice similar to Mary’s. How will we choose to respond to the unplanned?

As Christmas approaches, are we trusting in something or in someone? What could it look like for you to trust God in a deeper way this season?

My Thoughts

I don’t think I have ever considered Mary to have just been living her life as a young Jewish teen when Gabriel appeared to her. But, after reading it in the devotional, it makes sense to me. God calls the unlikely to do the unexpected in order to carry out His plan and then He equips them to do what He has called them to do.

I don’t know about you, but I generally get frustrated when I make a plan and then have to change it because of unseen circumstances. Honestly, I used to tell God how upset I was with Him that I had to change my plans when I thought He could have done something to help me carry them out. God has had to deal with me and my rigor for years, so I know He is used to it, but He has also been helping me to be more flexible, to expect changes. I don’t like them, but when they happen (as they usually do), I don’t fall apart because of it. I am getting better at “rolling with the punches” that life hands out and then praying and moving on. I am amazed that young Mary was able to accept the proclamation right away and told God that she was His willing servant. That shows me that God chose her for a reason! Perhaps He had already prepared her heart or He knew how much she already loved Him. I am not there yet, and may never be, but I aspire to be like Mary and just say, “Okay, God. Let’s do things your way; I’m getting out of the way so it can happen the way you plan.” Instead, I try to help God make the plan and He doesn’t need my help at all. In fact, I have never had God ask me for input into His plan. It’s His plan that we are supposed to all be working toward fulfilling and if a few glitches in our lives cause us to get off track, I am confident that in His grace and mercy, God will get us back on track instead of giving up on us.