Nov 22, 2017
by Sarina Villalpando
Maranatha Community Church in Colton, CA
A long, long, very long time ago, an angel named Gabriel appeared to a young Jewish woman named Mary. He told Mary that she was going to have a son, who would be the Son of God. Young Mary was confused about this news but she had faith in God.
Mary was given an assignment that was unique. She was to give birth to the child who would be the Son of God. During the birth, Mary faced a number of challenges to her faith but she continued to rejoice in the gifts God was giving her.
Mary, out of nowhere, was given a new future — a future she didn’t expect! She was being given a child, the Son of God. We may not know if this is where Mary wanted to be — if this is what she wanted — but she continued to serve God. In the end, she rejoiced over the new baby in her arms and she forever stood by Him. Mary didn’t have to follow through, but she loved her child.
Mary teaches us the good lesson that sometimes we are thrown an obstacle, an obstacle that we never expected. We have a choice to fight that obstacle or see our way through God’s plan for that obstacle and make it part of our life. This is what Mary did. She took action. She didn’t expect to have a child anytime soon, but she rejoiced about the child through the action of carrying and loving Him.
Rejoicing is the act of being happy and thankful at the same time. But rejoicing isn’t anything without showing it.
