How do you become the parents of God? It is much like asking how you do the impossible. These were ordinary, everyday people. But in all honesty, there was no person – no matter how high or low – that would have found this easy. They would face ridicule and rejection. They would eventually have to flee their home because of a bloodthirsty ruler. They would have to face the question of how to even parent the person who created them. Their lives would surely be turned upside down.
And yet, though faced with the impossible, Mary gives the most beautifully humble response. “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” She surrenders. Joseph, the kind and merciful man he is, “did as the angel of the Lord commanded him.” He surrendered.
How do you do the impossible? You surrender to the One who knows no such thing as impossible.
And if you read Mary’s song, you can see that she didn’t just surrender to God’s plan – she was grateful for it. Grateful that God would use her, even if it was in a way she would not have chosen. She trusted that God’s ways were higher than her ways; His plans better than any she could have ever imagined.
Mary and Joseph were used by God in the grandest way possible, not because they were grand, but because they were humble. God is still in the business of using people. He still calls us to do what seems impossible – what is impossible, for us. And in the face of that, we can look to the story of Mary and Joseph to remind us of a few key truths.
First, it takes surrender. As Mary and Joseph both had to submit their own wills to God, we do too in order to experience His good plans for us. We must trust that He is giving us a life that is truly and definitely greater than the life we have planned for ourselves.
Second, it takes a humble heart. We must remember that God is God, and we are not. Mary and Joseph both realized their place – they were servants of God. As they saw then, I hope we will see now that our lives are not our own. True life is found in humbly laying our own desires and wills down at the Lord’s feet. It takes a humble heart to surrender, but it also takes a humble heart to experience the fullness of God’s will for our lives.
Lastly, it takes everyday hard work. Yes, God used Mary and Joseph in the grandest plan of history. But did it seem so grand when they were changing diapers, rocking the fussy baby to sleep, cooking and cleaning, going through the routine of everyday life? God has grand plans for each and every one of our lives; however, we might not see the grandness on this side of heaven. All we might see is the everyday hard work. Yet, God meets us there in the everyday and the routine. He meets us in the middle of the night. He meets us as we daily surrender to Him with a humble heart.
