GOD’S PLANS (part-8)

WHEN THINGS DON’T GO THE WAY YOU PLANNED, HOW DO YOU REACT?

BIBLE PASSAGE:
“Then He went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient
to them. But his mother treasured all these things in her heart.”
(Luke 2:51)

MEDITATION:
When Jesus was older, He went down to Nazareth with his parents,
Mary and Joseph. However, when they started back home, Jesus
was not with them. It took them three days to find Him and when
they found Him, He was in the temple courts listening and asking
questions of the teachers.

Can you imagine searching a city for three days to find your
13 year-old son? As any parents might do, they asked Him
why He was not with them when they left, and told Him how
they had been frantically searching for Him.

Jesus asked them why they were searching for Him, and He told
them they should have known He had to be in His Father’s house.
Both parents had trouble understanding what He meant. At any
rate, Jesus went with them this time and was obedient to them.

The scriptures tell us that Mary “treasured these things in her heart”.
What was she treasuring? Her Son had been missing which means
she probably vacillated between trusting God and panicking. When
they found Him, we can assume she was filled with joy and relief.

The last time we saw Mary ‘treasuring an event in her heart’, was right
after her Son was born. She had just given birth to her Son in a cold
stable with dingy surroundings. Mary accepted whatever came her
way and her attitude reflected that. She was a young woman at peace
with her circumstances, and she trusted God no matter how things
worked out.

She was a kind, gentle woman in that stable, and she was the same
when Jesus was 13. She didn’t yell at Jesus, or make threats, or
yank Him by the ear when she found Him. Would we have been
able to treasure that dirty stable? Would we have been able to
treasure a seemingly errant teen?

Not much is known about Mary, the mother of Jesus, but it is
obvious from the Scriptures that she was a young girl who loved
God and was willing to obey Him at all costs. We don’t know why
God chose her to be the mother of Jesus, we just know He did.

Her response to the angel when she found out about God’s plan
for her, is our first indication that God knew she would be the
perfect mother for His Son, Jesus. Look at her response:
    “I am the Lord’s servant.
      May it be to me as you have said”
      (Luke 1:38)
Have we even considered that each one of us is, “the Lord’s servant”
and that just as He did for Mary, He has a plan for our life too?

Perhaps Mary was treasuring how God was right there with her
regardless of the circumstances she was experiencing at the time.
He was with her when she was confused, when she was afraid, and
when she was at peace; she knew she could trust Him, and she did!

ACTION:
We should ask ourselves:
    – When things go wrong in my life,
       how often do I react instead of reflecting?
    – Do I allow fear or anger to control my emotions,
       or do I treasure God’s presence and trust Him as Mary did?
    – Is my attitude,
           “May it be to me as You have said”,
       or is it,
           “Okay, God, this is not the way I want it
             to be and I want You to fix it right now”.
    – Do I need to work on the attitude I have when things don’t go right?
    – Do I need to practice accepting God’s plan when it doesn’t match mine?
    – Do I need to learn to treasure and ponder, instead of whine and complain?
    – Should I grow in my love and appreciation for God, as Mary did?
    – Should I devote myself to searching
       for Jesus everywhere, as His parents did?

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, thank You for sending Your Son
into this world. Help me to focus on who He is and
why He came here. Help me to be the kind of servant
to You that Mary was, and for my attitude to reflect
it every day. Show me Your plan for my life and help
me to embrace Your will as a replacement for my will.
Remind me that discovering Your plan for me will not
only increase my fellowship with You, but will also open
the door to additional blessings for those who follow and
obey Your plans. Rather than resisting the plan You have
for me, give me a desire to learn how to follow Your plan
and serve as You want me to serve. Help me to make the
changes You require in me for successful service to You.”

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