Obstacle or Opportunity - Mary of Nazareth Part 1

image credit: mavisdavis.wordpress.com

I have a "talent" that I think may actually be a curse.  I have the ability to turn the most benign situation into the most terrifying moment EVER!  It's pretty amazing, actually - and would be totally awesome if I were a horror story writer or director.  But I am neither, and therefore this "talent" that I possess usually results in preventing me from actually living life.

I am definitely getting better than I was, but I have those horrible scenarios constantly running through my brain - constantly.

And I think know that this "talent" has also caused me to miss out on some great opportunities from God.

I sit on the board and am a founding member of a non-profit group called House of Light.  We collect household items and furniture and then partner with local homeless shelters and provide the furnishings to families who have been placed in their own homes again.  It is a beautiful and wonderful thing to be a part of, and yet, I was willing to leave it all out of fear.

The idea of wandering around Colfax Avenue - also known as "the longest, wickedest street in America" - with a truck full of stuff - into someone's house that I don't know - was enough to send me into a full bout of fear and anxiety.  Too many obstacles.  Too many unknowns.

But "What Ifs" do not equal great faith nor a trust in God.  When I allow my fear and worry to overrun my mind, I am no longer trusting that God is bigger than my worry.  I focus on the obstacles instead of finding the opportunities God has for me.

And House of Light has been an amazing opportunity!

Mary of Nazareth (also known as Mary the Mother of Jesus), was a righteous and faithful woman, full of great strength.  She also possessed another great characteristic: the ability to identify the opportunities God was presenting her with far outweighed the possible obstacles she could face.

According to ancient Jewish custom, Mary is thought to have been only 12 or 13 years old when the angel Gabriel appears before her in Luke 1:26 - 38.  I don't know about you, but when I was 12 and 13, I was doing a lot of things, very few of which would have made me "highly favored" before God.  And yet, that is exactly how Mary was described by Gabriel.  I was also very worried about what others thought about me, but we will see that Mary worried only about what God thought about her.

But Mary was "deeply troubled."  She was not sure why an angel had been sent by God with greetings. 

Gabriel goes on to say, "Do not be afraid."  He tells her that she has "found favor with God" and that she had been chosen to be the mother of the Son of God (Luke 1:30 - 33).

And the first words that Mary utters are a question: "How can this be, since I am a virgin?" (Luke 1:34).

Instead of admonishing Mary for a lack of faith, Gabriel answers her question and ends with these words: "For nothing is impossible with God." (Luke 1:37).

And now it's up to Mary.  Does she trust God, leaning in to Him, relying on Him and His Promises and accept what the angel is saying as a great opportunity?  Or does she focus only on the obstacles she will face?

And the obstacles in this circumstance were great.  Mary was engaged to a man named Joseph.  At the time of their engagement, Mary was still a virgin.  Up until this very moment, there was only one way to conceive a child, and it involved no longer remaining a virgin - which would have been a sin and the punishment was death by stoning (to read more about this form of death, click here.)  If she were allowed to live, she would have been ostracized from her community.  Her parents would be disappointed and would not understand.  Joseph could call of the engagement, and she would be considered "damaged goods."

These are pretty big obstacles! 

My friend Kendal, one of the teaching pastors at my church, said that "obstacles consume us and come between you and what God wants for you.  And when you focus on your obstacles you will miss the opportunities from God."

I love Mary's response in Luke 1:38:

"I am the Lord's servant. May it be to me as you have said."

She makes it very clear that she does not care what others will think about her.  She recognizes that if the Lord is with her, as Gabriel proclaimed (Luke 1:28), then this was an opportunity that was worth the risks.  Her eyes were on her Lord.  She chose to trust and not doubt.  She chose to have faith and not fear.  She chose to rely on God and not worry about others.

Mary understood that "God was bigger than her obstacle" and that the opportunity was greater!

Have you ever wondered what Mary would have missed if she had allowed her obstacles to come between her and the opportunity that God wanted for her? 

Kendal closed his message with these words and this challenge:

"Don't miss the amazing things God has for you because you're stuck looking at the obstacles in front of you.  Is God bigger than your obstacle?  Take some time to identify the obstacles in your life.  Focus on God and His promise that He will be with you through all the obstacles."

You can read more about Mary of Nazareth's story at She Reads Truth.  Also read Luke 1:26 - 38.

I will also continue Mary of Nazareth's story tomorrow.