4 Words that Changed...

Fact: Christmas time is one of my 

favorite times of the year. 

          I love the atmosphere of joy and celebrating it brings about.  I love the smells of Christmas goodies coming from the kitchen.  I love the cheesy movies where everything always works out in the end.  I love Christmas music (After Thanksgiving and up to New Years!).  I love the time I get to spend my family and friends.  I love Christmas trees…REAL ones NOT artificial.  Anyway, I just love Christmas! 

         The thing I love the most about Christmas?  I love the Christmas story in the book of Luke.  I love hearing it read aloud (I have heard it read aloud in English, Spanish and Swahili.  Next year I’m thinking about doing a rendition in Pig Latin!) , I love reading it myself, I love seeing it portrayed through Christmas plays and movies and I love hearing carols reflecting the story.  I would dare to say that in my 25 years of life I have heard the Christmas story in some form or another over 150 times.  Honestly. However, two weekends when I saw it portrayed at FBC Milan’s Christmas program I saw something different.  Something new and exciting to me.  I saw four words that changed me.  As I went back and read the passage myself I saw three different “characters”, if you will, in the Christmas story say four words that changed lives.  Over the next few days leading to Christmas I would like to look at these three characters and the four words that they spoke.

           

            The first person I would like to look at is Mary.  Mary, the virgin, gave birth to the Son of God, Jesus.  Everybody knows Mary!  Some religions idolize Mary, but some people just put her aside and forget about her.  To me, Mary is a fascinating person that we, women AND men, should try to model our lives after.  Luke 1 gives a little blurb about Mary, but that little blurb says a whole lot.  Mary is described as being highly favored by God.  There was something about Mary that captured the heart of God.  Whether it was her demeanor or her gentleness or her pure heart, no one knows.  What we do know is that God saw something special in her.  God looked at Mary and saw her to be righteous and worthy of mothering His son.  Wow…what an incredible honor and privilege bestowed upon her.  Mary simply lived her life as an offering to God and she was blessed beyond comprehension for it.

            When the angel, Gabriel, came to Mary to tell her the news that she would bare the Son of God, Mary was startled.  I mean, who wouldn’t be?!?  Anyway, an angel came to her and told her that she, a virgin, was not only going to have a baby, but that the baby was going to reign forever and that His kingdom would never end.  If I was Mary I think I would of done one of two things.  I would have either #1 laughed at the angel or #2 I would have flipped out and said I did not want that responsibility at all.  What did Mary do?  Let’s look at 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.”  Be it unto me.

            Be it unto me.  Four words that changed Mary’s life forever.  Mary did not argue with the angel, Mary did not try to get out of it or even question God.  Mary just said be it unto me.  In the world of Meredith that translates to, “Bring it on God.”  Mary was saying to God that whatever He planned, whatever He purposed, whatever mountain or valley He had for her, bring it.  She was telling God whatever it is, let it happen to me.  Good, bad or ugly, she would do whatever God had in store because she was God’s servant.

            After those four words Mary’s life changed drastically.  She had the task of carrying, birthing and raising the Savior of the world.  Not only that, but I am sure that she caught a lot of flack for being pregnant before she was married and for just being the mother of Jesus.  Then she had to watch her son die a cruel and painful death on the cross because He did nothing wrong.  Mary was never the same after those four words.  Be it unto me.

            My challenge to you is to simply take on the mindset of Mary.  I challenge you to go before God and speak the same four words, be it unto me.  Surrender your will, your wants and your way and tell God to bring on whatever He has for you.  Be it unto me.  It will change your life, I promise.