My bible reading today is “The Magnificat”. It is the song/poem of a pregnant, unwed teenager living in a culture where pregnant unwed women could be stoned to death. She had been sent away from her family, probably to hide her pregnancy. The father is nowhere in sight.
Her response?
“My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me—holy is his name. His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation. He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble. He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful to Abraham and his descendants forever, just as he promised our ancestors.”
Mary, NIV
To really grasp the gravity of this, consider Mary’s situation from her perspective……..looking forward. If she even survived, she probably faced a life with no job, no family, no support, rejection by society…….and a hungry mouth to feed.
By any logical accounting, Mary’s situation was a disaster……..and it was about to get worse. It was quite possible that she would not even live through it…….if the legalists got their hands on her.
And yet, her reaction to this disaster is not dispair…….but, rather joy, thankfulness, and praise.
How can that be?
Looking back, the answer is simple. Mary knew something that nobody else knew………or at least something that they didn’t believe. Mary knew something…….that was simply impossible.
Mary was joyful because she believed with absolute certainty in something “impossible”.
And here is the moral:
Limiting yourself to believing only in what is “possible”, ultimately leads to dispair. The best possible case? You are going to die. And I’m not even going to mention the worst possible case.
Believing in the impossible leads to joy…….even in the face of disaster. Because……..there is a part of you that is supernatural.
There is a part of YOU that is impossible.
YOU are eternal.
We all have bad days…….. fairly often…….car accident, lost keys, missed appointment, late for work.
We also have disasters………loss of a job, illness, homelessness, death of a loved one. These are less frequent……..but we all face them. Furthermore, our disasters are no worse than what Mary faced.
So……when, disaster strikes, the key to dealing with it?
Don’t dwell on the “possible” outcomes.
Remember, that you have been promised the “impossible”.
That promise comes from a creator who loves you and who has your back………all day……..every day.
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
God, NIV