Greatness

​He will be great…Luke 1:32

Molly was her name.  She was plastic, had fuzzy brown hair and eyelids that opened and closed when I put her down or picked her up.  I would rock her, cuddle her and carry her everywhere. Molly the dolly, made me realize how much I wanted to be a mother; it was my biggest prayer.  After my first child, my prayer changed.  From that point, until this very day, I have prayed daily for the same thing; Lord, whatever it takes for the sanctification of my children (and now my grandchildren) please do it.  That can be a scary prayer, but as I pray it, I remember that he loves my kids and grandkids more than I do and that brings great peace!  

As I read this Gospel I am struck by two verses; He will be great & you have found favor with God.  As parents, we worry and wonder about our children; have we loved them enough, taught them enough, instilled enough faith; so, imagine the stunning relief if you heard a messenger of God, say about your child, “He will be great.”  What would that sigh of relief even sound like if we knew for sure that our children would achieve greatness in the eyes of God? And what would we do with all the minutes we spend thinking about their holiness and happiness? At first, the two verses seemed separate, but then the Holy Spirit helped me see that if desiring and praying for our children and grandchildren’s holiness is a top priority, then we’re doing exactly what God asked us to do when he placed that little human our life.  

As we wind down to the final days of Advent we continue to prepare to celebrate the birth of God’s Son.  Our Nativity scenes are up, and the focal point is the Baby Jesus.  God chose to send the Savior as a baby because he knew he would be loved, accepted and adored.  Nobody is afraid of or threatened by a cute little baby.  We find babies lovable and perfect.  As we get our hearts ready, we would do well to ponder the ways God finds us lovable, perfect and would like to come into our lives and make us great.  He wants to bring us his peace in this busy time.  He wants to remind us how much he loves us.  I think I’ll take a lesson from Molly the Dolly and lay down so my eyes shut, and my fuzzy brown hair hits the pillow and just be still while I ponder all the ways God finds favor with his children and tries to help them be great. 

A Seed To Plant: How would you like to invite Jesus into your life to help you grow in the greatness the Father has planned for you?​

Blessings on your day!