I don’t know anyone who appreciates having their carefully made plans interrupted, especially if the intrusion spoils something we’ve been looking forward to, or something we feel we desperately need.
Picture a cold, dark December night. You’re tired after a long day of work or Christmas shopping, you battled through bed-time with a couple of over-excited children, and now all you want is to tuck into that special box of chocolates you’ve been saving for such a night as this, put your feet up, watch a film or read a book, and allow yourself the luxury of dozing in front of the fire. Doesn’t that sound cosy? I can hear your sighs of relief.
Yet just as you are about to put these plans into action, the doorbell sounds. Should you answer, or pretend there’s no one at home? They’ll probably come back another time. They can always text or call if it’s urgent. However, a lifetime of well-taught politeness drags you to the door, where you find an old friend you haven’t seen for years.
Now your emotions are torn. Part of you still wants to collapse in front of the fire, but the other part is thrilled to see your visitor. So you invite them in and send up a speedy prayer for a change of attitude while rushing into the kitchen to put the kettle on and grab the mince pies. By the end of the evening, you’re glad they came, and you urge them to come again soon.
Unwelcome interruptions really can turn into blessings if we are willing to let Jesus adjust our attitudes. Changes of plan can lead to moments of rejoicing beyond our wildest dreams.
Let’s take some time to think about Mary. She was a young girl with her whole life mapped out. Or so she thought. She was going to marry Joseph the carpenter, keep house, and bare his children. In modern terms, she’d already chosen her dress, decided on the colour scheme, and ordered the flowers. Everything was ready, until the angel Gabriel turned up out of the blue with a shocking announcement. Mary was going to have a baby. And he wouldn’t be just any baby. Her child would be the Son of God. She would conceive him while still a virgin. Surely this would lead to terrible accusations and suspicions. Mary would be seen as an adulteress. She might be stoned. Yet her response to the angel’s message shows her to be a woman of incredible faith. She asks questions. Who wouldn’t? But following the briefest of explanations, she surrenders to God’s plan by saying, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.”
I have always admired Mary, and I wish I were more like her. I long for her faith and her willingness to put God’s plans ahead of her own, no matter the cost.
Prayer
Father, when unwelcome interruptions threaten to change my carefully made plans, may I be more like Mary. Especially when I have the sense that those interruptions have come from you, so they have a greater purpose than I am able to understand.
Song: Magnificat by Keith and Kristyn Getty
Scriptures to Ponder
Proverbs 16: 9: “We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps.”
Jeremiah 10: 23: “I know, Lord, that our lives are not our own. We are not able to plan our own course.”