One of the greatest characters in all of the New Testament had to be Mary, the mother of Jesus. I believe that some of the best characters to study from in Scripture are those, not necessarily with talent, wealth or fame – but with willingness. A servant’s heart goes a long way! 

In Luke 1, Mary was presented with some troubling news (to say the least) by an angel. The angel tells Mary in Luke 1:31-33 And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. 

Could you imagine?! Most of us would immediately be fearful, and think “Why me?! This just can’t be right!” But the angel assured Mary that she was highly favored of God. 

Luke 1:28, 30 And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. 

This is obviously a lot to take in! But even with this startling news, what was most convicting to me was Mary’s response… Luke 1:38 And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her. 

Mary willingly submitted to the will of God, and the Lord was able to use her because of that servant’s heart and willing spirit. I couldn’t help but wonder what my response would’ve been in a similar situation. I couldn’t help but think how I currently respond to difficult opportunities and intimidating circumstances.  

My flesh would probably respond with thinking “This is too much work. This is too great a responsibility. This is so unfair!” Etc. I can see myself being fearful. I can see my countenance falling and my attitude changing for the worse.  

In these times of unusual and trying situations, I believe allowing the flesh to govern my thoughts and actions would be detrimental to the cause of Christ, and to my testimony. Think about it: How many supposedly spiritual people do you know on Facebook that post negative comments? How many Christians make a habit out of murmuring and complaining? We all know some, unfortunately.  

Before my husband was the pastor of our church, he served as the youth director. He was hired on full-time staff at our church in May 2011 – less than a year after we were married. And if I were to be completely honest, I did not have the greatest attitude. I was intimidated. I was scared. I voiced these frustrations on more than one occasion.  

Thankfully, the Lord showed mercy, and opened my eyes to this. I learned quickly that these negative responses were not only hurting MY walk with Christ… but they were also discouraging my husband. I was not only being selfish, but I was also showing a lack of faith in God, and a lack of willingness.  

I went to the Lord in prayer, confessed my sins, and asked Him to help me be the Christian wife, lady, and youth leader that I needed to be. God was gracious to us, and blessed our ministry. In fact, we just celebrated five years as the pastor’s family at our church. Our church loves us and spoils us far beyond what we deserve. We see God’s presence and blessings everyday in our lives. It convicts me to think that none of this would be possible if we had not said “yes” to God when He called us to serve Him.  

How many blessings have we missed out on due to an unwillingness to serve God? How many incredible opportunities have we forfeited because we lacked the faith to follow God’s call? My hope and prayer is to be more like Mary. I want to purpose in my heart to have a very Mary response. When I feel like complaining, or being negative, I think it would be best to sit quietly, and listen to the Lord. Read my bible. Spend time in prayer. Meditate on Scripture that assures me of God’s guidance and provision.  

Don’t let the devil rob you of being and retrieving a blessing. Don’t let your plans overrule God’s plans. Learn to say “yes” to the Lord. This is a very Mary response.