We typically don’t talk about Mary, the mother of Jesus, except at Christmas and Easter. Mainly Christmas. But she teaches us so much in our introduction to her in Luke 1:26-38. We meet Mary as she meets an angel and discovers that every plan she had for her life isn’t going to happen. Yes, Mary was planning to marry Joseph, but not as a pregnant girl with a seemingly preposterous backstory.

To say that changed the trajectory of her life, is an understatement. But what about her reactions to this new and unsolicited assignment? Mary did ask for some clarification: how can this be? But then she responds in the most humble way: I am the Lord’s servant. May it be to me as you have said.

As parents how do we respond when our plans for our kids or our families don’t look like what we had hoped? What is our reaction when our assignment changes or becomes clear in a way we never expected? Our reactions can help reveal how much we trust God and really what we believe about his character. And no matter what that revelation is, the Holy Spirit is there with us. Holding us. Loving us. Walking with us.