On March 25, we celebrate the Annunciation, the day when the Angel Gabriel told Mary she found favor with God. She could have told the angel no, but she said yes.
She trusted that God had a plan for her and her son. She must have been frightened. She must have been ridiculed, but she knew she was doing the right thing. When you do what God wants for you, He will give you blessings in abundance.
However, He doesn’t say that saying yes will be easy or without problems. Look at Mary’s life in the Bible. Her son gets lost at age 12.
Simeon tells her that her baby will pierce her heart. He doesn’t want to do what she asks at the wedding at Cana. Jesus dies on a cross at a young age.
Still, she accepts God’s plan. She says yes, which leads to the birth of Jesus. Despite the tragedy in Mary’s life, she has many blessings. She sees the glory of Jesus risen. She witnessed miracles. And, according to legend, she didn’t die but was raised up into heaven.
How Can You Say Yes?
While God does not ask all of us to live the life Mary lived, He does ask us to say yes. It could be something small, such as should I use this Faith-based company or that one? Jesus will tell you which one He wants, you have to say yes to trust God. It could be something major, such as writing a book when you are dyslexic or discriminated.
God could ask you to spread his message or entertain others with music, books, and art. He could ask you to take on a mission to increase people’s relationship with Him through daily prayer.
He might want you to counsel people who are disturbed or couples trying to have children. He might want you to sell divine-inspired T-shirts.
Look into your mind and heart. Take time to listen to what God is asking you. When He asks, you have to have the courage to say yes. You might have an uphill battle, but God wants everyone to climb a mountain to listen to His words.
Once you climb the mountain and survive the struggles and tests He has set for you, He will bless you abundantly. Your job is to trust Him during the struggles and tests and not to waiver.
What Should You Do?
You should pray every day. The best times to pray are first thing in the morning before you leave your bed to attend to all the chores and for your business and in the evening after the day is done and you are ready to sleep.
These are the times when you are most quiet and can hear His questions of you more easily. You also can pray for a few minutes throughout the day, but it is harder to be quiet and listen to Him.
Open your heart and mind to His words. He will ask you something or tell you something. Be open to hear what He wants you to hear.
If you are not open in heart and mind, you will not get the message or you might edit it to match what you want. That is a mistake. Throughout the Bible, people changed what His message was and was harmed.
The bottom line, saying yes will always give you blessings and always is the right thing to do even if it presents you challenges in the short term.
