Not About You (Luke 2)

It’s nice reading today’s chapter (Luke 2) not at Christmas time, because it allows us to get past all the sentimental holiday goo and really examine what’s going on here.

Can you imagine being Mary? She’s an unmarried teenager who finds herself pregnant. Her response to people who assume she had premarital sex with her boyfriend is, “No, it was the holy ghost.” “Yeah, you’re pregnant because of a ghost, right…” Now, ready to pop, she has to travel because of some stupid census. There’s no room in the Inn, so she has to give birth in a barn with stinky animals and no ice chips. The first people to visit aren’t friends or her parents, but some strange guys who smell like sheep. She takes her baby to church for the first time and the pastor tells her to be waiting for her soul to be pierced. And as soon as the child is old enough to be a little independent he’s getting lost and saying stuff she doesn’t even understand.

And we can laugh about all of that, but I don’t think any of it was funny for Mary. Every single one of those factors stunk for her. And here’s the deal: She was totally in God’s will. She was chosen by Him because she was special. She was obeying everything He wanted.

And so if you’re special, and chosen, and obeying, and in God’s will … life may very well stink for you. And you know what? Not only is that okay, it’s irrelevant. Because it’s not about you. It’s about God and His plan and His glory. And so if your lot in life is to ride a donkey to a little hick town, or to be the donkey, as long as you’re following God’s plan and bringing Him glory, rejoice. Because it’s really not about you.