This year, I wanted to share some meditations on Mary’s character that I wrote a few years ago at Christmas. Here is the first in the series:

During this Advent season, I have spent a lot of time thinking about Mary and all the aspects of her heart that are revealed in the Christmas story. One of the most evident and important is her humble obedience.

It would have been easy for her to argue with the angel about God’s plans for her life–“Hey, could you let God know that His timing here stinks? I’ve got a wedding to plan. Plus, traveling across the country in my third trimester of pregnancy is not part of my ideal birth plan.”

But Mary didn’t argue. She didn’t demand that God provide explanations or contingency plans. She simply said, “Behold, the bondslave of the Lord. Be it done to me according to your word.”

For me, it’s too easy to want to know all of the why’s, when’s, and wherefore’s in my life. I struggle to trust that God truly knows better than I do.  Instead of expecting God to provide me with all the answers, I need to learn to humble myself before Him and obey the things He asks of me, one day at a time, like Mary did.