Behold, the handmaid of the Lord...

"And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word...." Luke 1:38

Day one, of a long journey...

This month, as part of a fitness group that I host with other missionary ladies, we have accepted a challenge.  In preparing for a Bible study for Christmas, I learned that Joseph and Mary had to travel between 80-90 miles on their journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem.  As part of our fitness challenge for this month, we have agreed to walk, jog, run or bike our fitness journey in remembrance of the trek that Joseph and Mary travelled.  In preparation for this Christmas season, I wanted to think more about this trip that they undertook, but more importantly, why this trip was so important.

As a missionary wife, I do a lot of travelling.  There are many aspects of travelling that I enjoy.  I love discovering new places, meeting new people, sharing stories with other missionary families, and creating bonds with strangers that last for a lifetime. When people asked me as a missionary on deputation or on furlough how I handled all the travelling, I would shrug my shoulders.  It was just part of the life that I have been given.  As a missionary, we travel.

There are other days, however, when it's "mission conference season," and I've been on the road for a month at a time, and I haven't slept in a real bed for three weeks, and I'm living on top on my family in a stranger's house, with no privacy except for those isolated minutes locked in the bathroom...that travelling is "less fun." At these moments, I have to dig deep, and ask myself the question:

"Why am I doing this again?"

There was a time in my life, at the age of 13, when I said "yes," to a life-long journey with Jesus.  My life was empty and I was heading down a road that took me further and further away from God and His plan for my life.  I received God's incredible gift of love, and gave my life to Him to be used as He saw fit.  From the moment that I said, "yes" to the Lord, I began the journey of turning over my life to Him.  It is not a once-in-a-lifetime decision (although it begins that way), but it is a daily surrender, a daily commitment to take the hands off of the steering wheel of my life, and let God have control.

It's not easy.  There are days, many days, when I don't want to let Him take control.

This morning I was supposed to begin this month-long journey thinking about the road to Christ's birth.  I got off to a rough start.  I had gone to bed at 7 pm on Wednesday, too exhausted to even see my kids to bed.  I woke up at 4 am to a splitting headache, so I went to get some Tylenol and crawled back under the covers.  I overslept, which meant that everyone was rushed as they were getting ready for school, everyone except for my youngest who had a rough night and woke up sick.  On top of all this were laundry, dishes and a million and one other unfinished tasks that greeted my morning.

After getting everyone settled for this morning, and getting the first tasks started, I sat down with my Bible in hand.  I had so wanted this month's "journey to Bethlehem" to get off to a good start.  I was having one of those, "Why am I doing this again?" mornings.

I began to read in Luke 1, the beginning of my Christmas readings for this month, and marvelled again at Mary, and her willing surrender to God.  Hers was a very special journey, which began months before, when she said "Yes," to God.  Her response to the angel spoke very quietly to my heart today...

"And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word...." Luke 1:38

It was the "why" of my journey for today.  Why do I get up, and get going, and do the things that God has put on my plate for today?  It is because I said, "yes," to God.  There may be days when I don't "feel like it," when the daily tasks overwhelm me and I just want to return to bed, that God reminds me of all He has done for me, and the commitment I made to Him many years ago, as I surrendered my days to Him.  

During this month, as I enter into the busy-ness of this Christmas season, and all that needs to be done, may the Lord remind me to "get out of the way," and remember anew the day when the Lord called me, and I answered, "Behold the handmaid of the Lord..."  May I surrender my wants and plans today to be used as a willing instrument in God's hands.  As I begin the journey to Bethlehem, may I take each step with the thought of walking faithfully in the way that God has called me today.

What has God called you to today?  Can you answer with Mary, "Behold, the handmaid of the Lord?..."