Today’s Reading:
Isaiah 7:14 / Luke 1:26-38
Today’s society tends to look at the teenage years as a time
to fear. To many it is looked upon as “The Rebellious Years,” or as a time of
experimentation. It is the one phase of
the child rearing years that many parents dread and pray that they have the
endurance to make it through with their kids.
As one who has had the honor of working closely with and ministering to
youth in the local church throughout my life, as well as actively participating
in the upbringing of our own four kids, I look at those experiencing life as a
12- to 18-year-old with a different set of glasses!
I see these youth as older kids who suddenly find themselves
in an in-between time where they are no longer children, but yet not quite
adults. Their bodies are changing, and
they are beginning to have the capabilities to think about and comprehend the
world and everything they have ever known with a whole new set of comprehensive
and abstract tools. Then on top of
everything else, their emotions seem to be on a rollercoaster ride as they are
going through this physical, mental, spiritual and emotional upheaval! With everything happening in them, it is no surprise for me to see
some of our youth dressed in black from head to toe, with hair in multicolored
shades of red or blue, with a new vocabulary that seems to only include about
half a dozen words, or with body piercing and/or tattoos in a wide array of
locations on their bodies!
Yes, they are experimenting and testing the waters of
life. Yes, they are looking to find out
who they really are and what they really believe and yes, they are testing
those around them, those they love and befriend in order to find out just how
really loved and accepted they are to them.
In my experience, I have come to realize that our youth are a product of
the environment that they have been raised in, and underneath it all, that they
are looking for the same securities that we adults seek in our lives.
In our story today, we see the angel Gabriel coming on the
scene again as he appears to a young teenage girl with a message that could
turn her world upside down! It is
interesting for me to see that there is no record of her physical features or
dress. The only description that is
given is that she was “a virgin” who
was “highly favored.” (Luke
1:26-28) Have you ever thought about
Mary’s appearance? What if she wore a
nose ring like Rachel the revered wife of Isaac who was one of the Patriarchs
of her Jewish faith? (See Genesis
24:22) It would seem that God only
looked upon the qualities of her heart and not on the sight of how she dressed,
her hair style or the jewelry she might have worn.
What we do see as our story unfolds though, is that this
young girl, who was most likely between the ages of 12–15, knew the prophecies,
knew the faithfulness of her God, and was very confident and yet humble to
accept and pursue whatever responsibility was given to her from Him. When Gabriel appeared to her, she was not
overtaken with fear as we saw with her uncle’s experience six months previous
to this event. I believe that the
reaction that caused her to be “startled
by what the angel said” and her question “How can this be?” (Luke 1:29 & 34) was simply the inquisitive
request of an innocent young girl wanting to know how it would happen. She did not ask for a sign and never doubted
that it was from God, or that she could handle the calling! Her reply to the angel’s explanation was a
straightforward affirmation of: “Behold
the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word…” (Luke 1:38 KJV)
Nowhere do we find any recorded thoughts of “Can I do this? Am I good enough or able to accomplish this
task? What if I fail?” or “What will my family, friends and relatives
think?” and maybe most importantly, “What
will my husband to be think?” I am
positive that Mary’s home environment perfectly prepared her for this
all-important role in God’s plan for our salvation. She never flinched, but jumped whole
heartedly into this sudden and totally unexpected turn in her life!
Once again, how would you respond to such a dramatic turn of
events in your life? Would you have the
same simple confidence, zeal and freedom to let go and let God as this young
teenage girl exemplified? This short
story has many things for us to consider this Christmas season. For instance, how we look at others and how
we look at ourselves. It implores us to
examine the depth of our unyielding trust in our heavenly Father, and maybe
even the difference between how God looks at teenagers compared to how we view them. This could be an advantageous time to grab a
sheet of blank paper and begin to jot down some personal notes as thoughts on
these questions arise within you. It
might just be the beginnings of a whole new way you look at life’s assignments,
at other people and at yourself!
Have a wonderful day!
Stay in tune to His Word, and ask yourself… “Would I, like Mary,
reply to God’s assignments by declaring, ‘Be it done unto me according to they
word’?”
