LET IT BE

LET IT BE
And, Mary said "'Let it be'...unto me according to your word." In essence, she said "YES". Such a simple word -- only three little letters. but that "YES" changed everything for us. By her humble obedience to trust in what God was asking, the course of human history was changed. It wasn't just a simple request either. God was asking for her ALL. She said yes to the call God had for her life. She embraced His words and said yes to be a part of God's mission on earth.

Last Sunday, I heard Pastor Ryan Mauloff speak about Zechariah's hesitancy to believe the angel, Gabriel's, message that he and his wife (an old guy and gal) would conceive a son. His lack of belief caused him the inability to speak until their son, John (the Baptist), was born. He had been programmed to doubt. On the other hand, a very young (maybe only 13 years old) girl (child) Mary, was visited also by Gabriel but her response was in faith instead of doubt. I don’t know . . . if I were in her sandals, I probably would have been like, “What? Umm, just a minute here. I have a lot of questions!” But her beautiful and humble response . . was "LET IT BE to me according to your word.” {Luke 1:38}. This is a perfect example of why Jesus said we should be like little children. Little children just believe. Little children just say yes.

Remember that Paul McCartney song, "Let it Be"? Paul McCartney of The Beatles wrote that song about his own Mother Mary, and the comfort she brought him during his toughest times. Yesterday, while I was pondering the "Let it Be" mindset, I looked at the lyrics and I thought about Jesus' Mother Mary and how if we would apply her heart and wisdom to our lives, we may be used, also, in the comfort and strength of those around us:

When I find myself in times of trouble
Mother Mary comes to me
Speaking words of wisdom, LET IT BE.
And in my hour of darkness
She is standing right in front of me
Speaking words of wisdom, LET IT BE.
Let it be, let it be
Let it be, let it be.
Whisper words of wisdom, LET IT BE.

Wow. That is just so inspiring and encouraging to me. I want to respond to God's call with the same willingness and wisdom that Mary had! YES, LET IT BE unto me. It can be too easy to to come up with excuses or brush things off as being unimportant. But God can do anything with anyone who is willing. He is our strength. We need to remember that even one person can change history with one YES.

When we let God work in and through us, without questioning all the details and understanding everything, we are saying "LET IT BE". We don’t need to see what He is doing with our lives to know we are part of His plan. No list of excuses. No doubting. No thinking we aren’t important enough to make a difference.

Yes, in spite of our weaknesses. Yes with all the bumps and frustrations that might come along. Yes. LET IT BE!!

Mary's "Yes" -- My "Yes"

As if one Advent by Candlelight wasn't enough, I was thrilled to attend another last night at St. Bernard's Church. This night, I was able to sit back with dear friends from my Hyde Park community and my ACTS community to focus my attention, and really take in the beauty of this wonderful Season of Advent. Once again, the photos here describe the hospitality of the hostesses that make this night so warm and welcoming. The beautiful songs that were sung that celebrated this beautiful time and short reflection talks by several ladies caused us to hone into this most holy of times of the year. After all, there would be no Easter and Resurrection Sunday were it not for the birth of our Lord.

The talk giver, a renown author and speaker, Lisa Hendey, was eloquent and relevant as she spoke about Mary's "Yes" and our "Yes".

As I heard her speak, Mary's "yes", in a way, became my "yes". Mary’s “yes” changed her life. We all know that "yes" doesn't mean, "The End". It is, in most instances, the beginning of ginormous changes to our lives -- our schedules, our time, our energy (or the lack thereof), our thought processes and our commitment. I know my recent "Yes" to making a huge transition in my life, moving from Tulsa to Texas, holds many unknowns, plus life-altering times ahead, but I know when saying "Yes" to God, He is with me every step of the way.

But here's the deal about Mary's "Yes". Because of her “yes”, she became the mother of Jesus. Though her ordinary life was made sacred by way of an invitation that she affirmed, she was still like any mother. She was still needed by her baby boy in the middle of the night, chased the toddler Jesus with the hopes of a nap soon to come, (I've been there -- haven't you?) and found that her life was no longer hers, but everything about that precious baby consumed her, like our babies were to us. The difference is that her attention turned toward the child who was Jesus. The beloved song, "Mary Did You Know?" was sung last night, and it makes us wonder, if she had known what was up ahead for her and her baby boy, would she still have said "yes". In our lives, we don't know what lies ahead, but with our willingness to follow He Who loves us beyond description and has a Master Plan to work out in us, like Mary, we can resign our own thoughts and submit to God's perfect plan for us.

When we say “yes” to God, He is inviting us to do what is in our capacity to do. Otherwise, He wouldn't have asked. I've learned over and over...."Where He guides, He provides". But most importantly, He invites us to see our ordinary roles as sacred. The sacredness of dependence on God for His grace and mercy to be with us in times of decision making, having His wisdom to guide those He entrusts to us, daily being full of the Fruit of the Spirit as we assist in carving out our children's places in this world, as well as being a light to those God calls us to encourage and support around us.

Mary's "Yes" -- My "Yes" -- I'm there -- How about you?