Today in my Quiet Time, I was reading Luke 1:39-56. Like never before something struck me today: Jesus ruined Mary’s life… from an earthly perspective. Think about it. The day Mary found out she was carrying Jesus, her life got REALLY hard. What with the Pharisees, the Sadducees and all those other guys floating around, it was not a good time to be a pregnant teenager with no husband. Much less, she was engaged already and that didn’t look good either. She had no money, no husband, and probably very little support. She was going to give birth in stable, run for her life to Egypt, somehow raise the Son of God, and one day see Him die on a cross. The day she found out she was carrying Jesus, she set out on a road that from many earthly perspectives was full of pain, suffering and heartache. You could say Jesus ruined her life.
EXCEPT!
That’s all an earthly perspective. And it’s totally wrong.
Mary was an extraordinary woman. Read Luke 1:46-55 and tell me otherwise. She wasn’t focused on the earthly perspective. She had her heart in exactly the right place. She was focused on the Glory of God. She saw the amazing privilege and blessing it was to be Mary, mother of Jesus. She saw that God had chosen normal, ol’ her to bring glory to Himself.
So now I’m thinking about me. Sometimes my life gets turned upside down too. Not as much as Mary’s, but sometimes I wonder what in the world God is doing. I don’t think I’ve ever wondered if God were ruining my life, but I know people who have. I think I can understand that perspective. But here’s the thing: How many times do I get so focused on the dumb little details of my life (as if they were anything near what someone like Mary went through) and forget all about the Glory of God? Sometimes all I see is the pain, or the trial or the annoyance or the difficulty. Sometimes all I see is the financial burden, the physical exhaustion, the embarrassment, the damage to my reputation, the sadness, the loneliness….. and I FORGET all about the Glory of God.
What is God doing anyway? If I believe my Bible, He’s in complete control and He’s working even the bad stuff and dumb decisions I make into something good (Romans 8:28). Everything is coming together to bring Glory to God. So when hard times come (unforeseen bill, failed event, loss of a friend, spat with my wife) why don’t I get off my pity party wagon and join Mary on the “Let’s Be Looking for the Incredible Ways God is Going to Bring Himself Glory” wagon. Which wagon are you on?
