We often hear the Blessed Virgin referred to as the “Handmaiden of the Lord” because she is totally, 100 percent open to God’s will. She has complete surrender.
Like Mary, most stewards may be open to the will of God and surrender to His plans for our life. That is, until the going gets tough.
When times are difficult and things get complicated, we often abandon ship. We have faith until it hurts to have faith, and then we let go because it is just too hard.
When Mary was presented with the life-altering request by Archangel Gabriel to bear the Son of God, she immediately said “yes” with no questions asked. Mary didn’t believe she was being put in peril, nor did she accuse the angel of robbing her of her future. There were no tantrums. She exuded pure faith and pure trust.
Mary’s “yes” didn’t mean the road ahead was going to be easy. In fact, her “yes” came with a high price — one that could have cost Mary her life. But, without hesitation, she agrees to do the most difficult thing that could be asked of a young girl.
And, when she surrenders to God, what happens to Mary?
She is humbled when she explains her circumstances to her fiancé Joseph, and she becomes poor and gives birth to her Son in a simple stable. No one really wishes to be humbled and poor. However, in exchange for following God’s will, she is richly rewarded in the next life, and she shares Eternal life with her Son and Lord. Not a bad trade-off.
When things are calm, it’s easy to feel like we are faithful followers of God. After years of building our relationships with God, we believe that we, too, will be strong stewards, and say “yes” to whatever God asks.
Maybe God asks us to do the very things that are the most difficult for us because He wants to test our loyalty. Maybe He needs to see that we are His true servants – no matter what the cost. Surrendering to God during our hardest trials will help bring us closer to Him in Eternal life – the ultimate reward.
