Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Felix Culpa

Home
Evangelical
The Divine, Difficult Calling of Mary

The Divine, Difficult Calling of Mary

Last updated on: December 21, 2017 at 5:42 am by Brenda Renee Coats

The Divine, Difficult Calling of Mary 2017-12-21T05:42:59-07:00 Brenda Renee Coats

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

christmas-crib-figures-1060017_640_opt

I’m hopping on the Five Minute Friday train today because … Christmas. I’m in the throes of shopping, wrapping, shopping, making handmade gifts, shopping, cooking Paleo for my husband, shopping, and …. you get the point.

Thank God for Amazon.

This week’s word is different. I think the word different can either conjure up wonderful or painful thoughts. It’s wonderful to get out of town and see something different. New places, new terrain, new stores and people and cultures. But experiencing something different and being someone different are … different. Experiencing something different is often fun. Being different is often painful and discouraging.

Societies constantly attempt to lump a large group of people into being one type of person who believe the same things. Currently, our society is brainwashing us to believe and act according to the “truth” that truth doesn’t exist, that the homosexual lifestyle can’t be helped, that abortion isn’t murder, that men are all dangerous and not to be listened to. And whatnot.

Let’s not all be different. Let’s all believe the same things, even if they’re wrong. Let’s all, as mothers, work outside of the home and call it equality and more fulfilling than 24/7 motherhood. Let’s all, as husbands, defer to the leading of our wives rather than lead our families as God intended. Let’s all accept what God has said is abominable as good, normal, and even heroic.

It’s enough to make a grown woman weep and gnash her teeth.

When I think of different people in the Bible, Jesus a to mind first, of course. He came to show us all a radically different, sacrificial way to live.

Next I think of Mary, His mother.

-She accepted God’s will for her life, even though it didn’t make sense to her intellect. How will I be with child before I know a man?

-Her calling was unique. How many women have been called to be Divinely impregnated by the Holy Spirit, carry the Savior of the world in their wombs, give birth to Him (in a lowly stable, no less), and raise Him to be a functioning citizen? Just one. How many women would’ve ran for dear life from the angel who came to her with a plan that included a scandal so severe she could’ve legally been sentenced to a fatal stoning by her betrothed?

Well I would have ran. But not Mary. She was different.

-She not only accepted God’s will, she submitted to it. Yes, she asked how. How can this be possible if I am a virgin? But her question was one of genuine confusion, not of rebellion, as Zacharias’ question was about his Elizabeth getting pregnant so late in life.

-She praised in the midst of her strange (to her and to others, but not to God) testing. This is the mark of a true Christian. To praise God while going through difficulties and real-life scenarios that don’t make sense to the human mind is to show the world that trusting wholly in a God who doesn’t always make perfect sense to us is possible. Not only possible, but preferable. We exhibit our faith and God’s sovereign rule over us when we sing through perplexion and difficulties. Mary’s Magnificat is her outward praise, and I often read through it when I am feeling different and dejected for being so.

To be different is to often feel dejected. But if we study history, we will find many a great people were exceptional not because they swam with the crowd, but because they swam upstream — against the crowd.

My five minutes is up, plus some. I hope this Christmas you find strength to praise in what should be a joyful season, but often ends up being a season in which many find it difficult to feel anything but dejected and defeated. Don’t fret about that. Your feelings aren’t always true. What’s true is that a different, difficult lot in life might be what causes you, and more importantly your God, to be remembered.

Previous Post

December 13, 2017

Three Great Christmas Gifts We Can Give Our Children

Next Post

December 19, 2017 For Those Cumbered with The Christmas Crunch

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Uncategorized

Select a Month April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 May 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Which book contains the story of Hosea's marriage to an unfaithful wife?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Joel Micah Jonah Hosea