Some people just grow up really fast. And often it’s not through the happiest circumstances. The hard knocks of life often dismantle us for life or fast-track us to maturity.

Mary presumably had to grow-up pretty fast. As a woman with a devout heart – she probably dreamed (sexist stereotypes aside) of serving God through the family life with a blessed husband and children. No idea how much of a scrapbook a Galilean girl would have put together – but I’m sure she dreamed of her special day and a special ‘nest’, that was her own.

We all have our dreams, and as much as they can be our inspiration – the expectations can often become our curse. We expect God to bless us by aligning His will with our plans. And only then we feel as if our destiny is fulfilled.

And yet – as Mary discovered, God has a better yet often harder way to mature us. She was highly favored but had to face the potential contempt of her fiancée and the ridicule of her community. She gave birth while almost on the run. She saw her son grow up knowing that something dark was going to end up his life. She went through the proverbial roller coaster ride of seeing his rise to fame as well as his brutal execution. Surely not something she would have had as her perfect life on her Pinterest wall.

It’s admirable that we should seek the weaving of our desire for fulfillment with the destiny God wants for us. Yet rarely we realize that the two might have different blueprints. Mary remained committed to let God shape her life, family and destiny. She did it willingly and gladly. and she must have made daily choices to back that early surrender. And it paid off – from eternity’s perspective.

The secret? She TRUSTED God.
His wisdom, His power, His goodness.

A timely reminder to us all.