December 6, Luke 1:26-29
By Sherri Snider, Administrator, The Baptist Home, Ironton
The angel went to her and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you" (Luke 1:29).
Have you ever asked God for something, (kind of like Santa),
hoping to get it? But, instead of getting what you asked for, you received something better than you could ever have dreamed of. Twenty-three years ago, I interviewed for, and wanted, a full-time secretarial job, making slightly above minimum wage with no benefits. I asked God to give me that job, adding, "if it was His will." (But I really wanted that job, even if it wasn't His will.)
Well, I didn't get the job — and to be quite honest, I was mad. Then a few months later, I was offered a full-time job with benefits — a job for which I hadn't even applied. That's how my service began at The Baptist Home. And that's where I found my calling and discovered God's plan for my life. I never could have planned such a life for myself as great as the one God has given me.
That's probably the way it was with Mary. Can't you just imagine her reaction to God's message? Undoubtedly, she had planned her life together with Joseph, and here God was, sending her greetings. I bet the red flags were flying. What in the world could God have in mind? And as we know, God had great plans in store for Mary. Even amidst our doubt, so it is with all of us.
Maybe you knew at an early age what your life calling was. Or maybe like me, you were a "late bloomer," not discovering God's plan for your life until you were more mature. Regardless, God has great plans for us — greater than we can imagine — if only we allow Him to work in our lives.
