“Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” - Luke 1:38
I firmly believe that waiting and preparing are paired with giving of ourselves, as Mary gave everything to give birth to baby for a world in need. I also believe that part of preparing and waiting is sacrificing. One of the most celebrated times of waiting in the life of a family is waiting for the birth of a baby. Yet, like Mary, there are many women living right here in this area, for whom this time of waiting is filled with great risk, uncertainty, and fear. I graduated college a semester early and had to decide how to best use my time for Spring semester and summer before I entered seminary. I found myself working for my church, and as part of that job, partnering with agencies in the area to build connections.. While volunteering it came to my attention that there was a woman in the area who was about to have a child, but had nothing. I approached the director of an area agency and asked if I could throw a surprise baby shower for this woman. The director was astonished that I wanted to help her prepare for this child – a woman whom I did not know, and a baby whom I may never meet. What happened next was only through the grace of God. I took the list of supplies that the woman would need for her baby and gave it to my church. I explained what we were doing and how we only had about a month for collecting the items. The church not only collected enough items to get this woman and her child through the first year of their life together, but enough to help seven more women throughout the county who were in need of help preparing for their children as well.
Who are you willing to help prepare this season? How can we reply, like Mary, HereI am, the servant of the Lord?
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