What does it cost to end the status quo of any given situation? The answer is a lot. A lot of boldness. A lot of persistence. A lot of blood, sweat, and tears. I believe much power is stirring on the horizon. Many cures and transformations that will impact society for the good. But who will these shifts come through? The answer is, individuals willing to say, “Yes!”
An amazing shift took place 2,000+ years ago when a simple teenager agreed to give up her plans for something greater. Mary’s “Yes” to God cost her dearly. She could have easily been stoned to death. To how many individuals could she entrust her miraculous story? “Pssst, I just came from Mary’s house. She told me an angel visited her, and now she is pregnant. I think she’s lost her mind.”
Her belly would grow and grow, and the whispers – the scowling, condemning looks – would continue. She would cling to God’s promises, but she had to process all the dimensions of being in a crisis pregnancy, including breaking the news to her parents. How did they react? How long did it take for their anger to subside?
And, it didn’t get any easier. A long donkey ride, followed by giving birth in a barn. Imagine the smells she had to endure while transitioning through labor. Hebrew school dropouts, otherwise known as shepherds, were the only companions she and Joseph could proudly introduce to their son. Even when Jesus was well into his ministry, some would still remember the confusion over his paternity. One gospel records Jesus being addressed as “Mary’s son.” This spoken in ordinary language today is “Mamma’s baby, Papa’s maybe.”
And after the difficult pregnancy and delivery, the next supernatural directive the young family received was “RUN!” The ruling king wanted the child dead, so he was raised in Egypt. He was a refugee in a foreign land.
What trials and tribulations are you pushing through this season besides the global pandemic? Fires, hurricanes, loss of a job, a breakup? Be assured that the introduction of “Peace on earth, good will to men” had some very rubber-meets-the-road qualities. If Jesus’ mom had to continually persevere in her commitment, we will also. My hope is that we discover the supernatural colliding with the ordinary on this path called life, and those called to leadership will count the cost and still respond, “Yes!”
Broken but Beautiful 