I just want to start out by saying that I should have known keeping a daily blog would be harder than it looks. The past few days have been hectic and all that jazz but that should not be an excuse. This, after all, was the whole point of doing this: to make a deliberate decision to devote time to reflection during Advent, even when that is difficult to do. I did manage to scribble down some notes the past few days so I will now spend time updating my blog from these thoughts I gathered.
Okay. Let’s get started.
This entry is all about accepting the unknown path and what better examples of this during Advent then Mary and Joseph.
“Was the nature of the challenge any different for those two figures making their way to Bethlehem on a donkey? What else did they have to go on but a strange sense that they would be directed from within? The outcome was an impossible mystery. What could they have relied on except an experience of this power? They didn’t know the course of their lives, or the course of human life, was about to change forever. But surely they recognized something. And they were moved enough to become bold, to move beyond tradition and convention” (Daybreaks).
I am thinking of all of the times when I have faced an unknown path like Mary and Joseph. Remembering how I felt in those moments, I can only begin to imagine how those two were feeling on the path to Bethlehem. Mary and Joseph are the perfect role models for the power of surrendering to God and the Holy Spirit.
When I imagine the two of them, even though I know they were just normal people, I cannot really comprehend them this way. I always assumed there must have been something incredible about them that helped to make this process easier. They must have understood the magnitude of what they were saying yes to right? How could a person follow God’s plan with so much unknown ground before them? But, when I examine this idea more closely, I think we each are called to venture into unknown territory with our faith everyday even if it is not all that dignified. The only thing that we need to do is say "yes".
It makes me wonder how often we live our lives with a trust like Mary and Joseph had. How often do we feel that stirring in our soul and respond, without even really knowing what we are agreeing to, with a “yes”?
This weekend I was in Michigan taking a course in a two-year certification in youth ministry program and after reflecting on this reading I decided I wanted to try and live this courageous boldness over the weekend in some small way. It seemed like the perfect time to practice so I said “yes” to whatever God had in store for me and prayed for an open heart. As a result, I opened myself up to forming some really great relationships with a group from Traverse City. They had all been there in the first session in October but I don’t think I was open to the experience of putting myself out there and making new friends; I was not willing to say "yes". I really do believe that this was my opportunity to be bold and listen to that stirring in my soul. Now, I look forward to two years of sharing my faith with this wonderful group of people.
As if I needed more proof of God's presence in my life at this very moment, here I am typing this entry on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception when we celebrate and thank Mary for saying "yes"! (and Joseph too, for being a pretty incredible man)
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