Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” And then the angel left her.
‭‭Luke‬ ‭1:38‬ (‭NLT‬‬)

When I was younger, a friend of mine told me she couldn’t stand Mary. She thought Mary was weak – just another woman pushed around by the men in her world. Made to serve. Made to bear a child that wasn’t of her choice. 

But I saw it differently. Mary made her choice. She loved God and she loved the child God entrusted to her. She chose to serve because that’s what love does. 

I saw in Mary an incredible strength – maybe quietly expressed, but incredible nonetheless. 

Told unbelievable things by a Heavenly messenger, Mary chooses to declare that she serves God, and asks that it all might happen just as the angel said. That takes strength. That takes faith. That takes love. 

This Advent, may you choose to serve God with great love and quiet strength. And in doing so, may you find that God’s way is the best way.