The Tapestry of Christmas: A Woman's StorySample

Mary the Mother of Jesus:  The Thread of Humility

Suppose you received the noble task of choosing the woman who would bring the Messiah into the world. Whom would you choose? What criteria would you have used?  Perhaps you’d use a married woman who has proven herself of right standing in society or the wife of a respected religious leader in the community? Perhaps you’d look at one who has had several children and is evidence of a great mother? Would a First Lady be one of the top choices in modern times? After all, the government would be on His shoulders. Would it be your favorite anointed female preacher or worship leader? How about a confident woman who loves Jesus, has her MBA, and succeeds in the corporate world? 

Your first choice would certainly not have been an unmarried teenage peasant girl. Mary was young, poor, and unwed. These were enough reasons for her to be unqualified or even disqualified. How often have you felt unsuitable for something God is calling you to do? How wonderful is it that God looks not at the outward appearance but the heart of men? 

God saw the unbridled devotion and obedience Mary had. He saw her heart in the obscurity of her life. She was no stranger to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Mary was Jewish, from the lineage of Abraham, and knew the prophetic promises God had made to His people. She loved the Lord and was willing to lose her reputation and position in society, her potential husband, and suffer disgrace, all in service to God. For the word of God to come to pass, she would do anything.

What if Mary had responded from her physical stature and position? Suppose she said, “No.  Find someone more qualified to do this. I am not enough”. Though a humble statement on the surface, this would’ve been pride.  Mary would have denied God’s choice to present her as a leading role in a beautiful narrative penned from the beginning of time. Thankfully, we never will know how it could have played out. Mary responded to her new assignment by saying, “I am the Lord’s maidservant.  Let it be unto me according to Your word.” She surrendered her life to the will of God, even if it meant that a sword would pierce her heart in the process.  Whether she succeeded or failed, sank or swam, it made no difference because she was in service to her Master. Mary chose to humble herself before the Lord. 

We see the heart posture of Mary as she exalts the Lord in her song of praise, saying, “...He has looked with favor on the lowliness of His servant.” Mary did not regard herself highly, but she surrendered herself gladly with rejoicing to God in humility. He was free to use her in whatever manner He pleased in His great tapestry. 

God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. Humility is obedience to God. It is the agreement with who He is and who you are in Him.  When you recognize that you are a child of God, His handiwork made for good works in Christ Jesus, then seeking His Kingdom and righteousness takes preeminence in your life.  

Like Mary, we should desire to do great things for God in our day and time.  

Most times, we are unaware that:  

1.  It is our inner state of the heart that qualifies us. The Kingdom of God should be our pursuit and not worldly accolades, status, and achievements.   
2. It requires us to surrender completely to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Jesus humbled Himself to the form of a bondservant in humility and obedience, even unto death. Whether it is the demise of our former lives, identity, status, relationships, or even physical death, we must be willing to lay it all down as servants of Christ.  
3. It is not always a good time. Trials and difficulties will be present in our walk. We walk in the victories and sufferings of our Lord Jesus Christ. The blessing we are praying for can come with criticism from people. The provision of God can expose a need to cultivate deeper reliance on God. There is purpose in the pressing and the crushing: to grow us into the stature of Christ.

Let’s take God at His word like Mary did and see what’s in store! You are a thread woven beautifully into His tapestry, and He’s writing your story into His through your obedience and humility. 

Reflection:  

• What are some things you think disqualify you from being used by God?  
• Are there things God has asked you to do which you have hesitated to obey? What stopped you from obedience to His voice?  
• Who is one person in your life that displays humility? How?

Prayer: 

Holy Spirit, reveal the lies in my mind and heart; Lies that have whispered I am unqualified or disqualified from being used by God. Shine the light of Your truth in these spaces and help me become more like our Lord Jesus, humble and obedient to every word from the Father. I pray that I may be a vessel of Your mercy in this world and a colorful thread in your tapestry, bringing Your Word to pass on earth as it is in Heaven.

Featured Author: Joan Kubai
Nairobi, Kenya