Yesterday we celebrated the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. (Sorry I’m a little late.) Sometimes people get a little mixed up with the name of this feast day and think it has to do with Jesus being conceived through the Holy Spirit. In reality, this feast day is a celebration of Mary being free of original sin by the grace and will of God. This enabled her to be worthy to carry the Messiah in her womb. After all, you don’t think God would let His Son be tainted by sin, do you?
As amazing as it is that Mary was spared the stain of original sin, another aspect of the feast day has recently caught my attention. Have you ever thought about how much thought God put into His plan for salvation? We’re talking about some serious planning here folks! God (who, of course, is all-knowing and all-powerful) prepared Mary to be the mother of Christ even before her conception. He deemed her worthy of the most important role a mortal could play in His plan for salvation, Christ-bearer.
Yet, with all of that advance planning, He still gave her the choice to say “yes” or “no.” He took a pretty big risk, don’t you think? What if she had said “no?” I guess God would have had to go back to the drawing board and find someone else worthy of the task. But, God still gave her the choice. Of course, He knew she would say “yes.” (See “all-knowing” above.)
So how do we fit into this plan? What part do we play?
Well, I can’t tell you what your part is in God’s plan, that’s between you and the Big Guy. But I can assure you that your part is unique AND important. Each of us has a part in God’s plan. Sure, it won’t be as high-profile as Mary’s part. Mary definitely got the lead role in that scenario but, in God’s plan, there truly are no small roles, only small actors.
Wouldn’t it be great if we all said yes just like Mary did? Can you imagine a world full of people doing God’s will? It would be amazing! Like heaven on earth. To me, that’s what they mean when they say, “Thy Kingdom Come!” So, if that’s what God’s kingdom would look like, sign me up!
May your journey be blessed,
S.S.
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Laura B Nelson 