The Beauty of Surrender: Lessons from Mary's Yes
In a world that celebrates control, achievement, and carefully curated images, the concept of surrender feels almost countercultural. We plan our days down to the minute, manage our reputations through social media, and work tirelessly to ensure our lives unfold according to our designs. Yet in the Christmas story, we encounter a young woman whose life teaches us something radically different about what it means to follow God.
Mary was an ordinary teenage girl living in Nazareth, going about her daily routines—drawing water, grinding grain, learning the skills needed to manage a household. She was engaged to a respectable man named Joseph and likely had dreams about her future wedding and married life. Nothing about her circumstances suggested she was destined for anything extraordinary. She wasn't wealthy or influential; when she later brought the purification offering to the temple after Jesus' birth, she could only afford two doves instead of a lamb—the offering permitted for those of limited means.
Yet God chose her. And in that choice, everything changed.
Surrendering Our Plans
When the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary with the announcement that she would conceive and bear the Son of God, her entire life plan was thrown into chaos. The wedding she'd imagined, the normal life she'd anticipated—all of it suddenly hung in the balance. She faced the very real possibility of divorce, public shame, or even death by stoning under the law.
Her response? "I am the Lord's servant. May your word to me be fulfilled" (Luke 1:38).
These simple words echo with profound faith. Mary didn't demand explanations or guarantees. She didn't ask for time to think it over or consult with others. She simply surrendered her plans to God's greater purpose.
This is where many of us struggle. We love to plan our spontaneity, schedule our flexibility, and maintain control over our circumstances. We bring our strengths to God, hoping He'll use what we're already good at, rather than simply offering our availability. But God isn't looking for our great ability—He's looking for our availability.
Proverbs 16:9 reminds us: "The heart of a man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps." Planning isn't wrong, but we must hold our plans with open hands, ready for God to redirect our steps in ways we never anticipated. Sometimes God puts impossible tasks before us—things that can only happen if He shows up. That's exactly where He wants us: dependent, available, and surrendered.
Surrendering Our Reputation
Mary's yes to God didn't just affect her own reputation—it impacted Joseph's as well. Without consulting him, she accepted a calling that would make both of them subjects of gossip and suspicion. She risked being viewed as either delusional (claiming pregnancy by the Holy Spirit) or immoral (unable to maintain purity before marriage).
Yet the angel had told her, "You have found favor with God" (Luke 1:30). Here's the stunning truth: favor with God often looks nothing like worldly favor. While we equate favor with promotion, success, and applause, God's favor for Mary meant potential scandal, misunderstanding, and persecution.
Mary chose to be a servant of God rather than a people-pleaser. She understood what Paul would later write: "Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ" (Galatians 1:10).
In our age of algorithms designed to maximize likes, comments, and shares, this lesson hits particularly hard. We've been trained to chase the affirmation of others, to curate our image, to fear negative opinions. But living for an audience of one—God alone—brings a freedom that people-pleasing never can. When we surrender our reputation to God, we're released from the stifling fear of others' opinions and freed to walk in obedience.
Mary trusted God to be her defender. She didn't feel the need to explain herself or convince everyone of the truth. She simply trusted, and God confirmed His word to Joseph through a dream.
Surrendering Our Expectations
The angel's announcement to Mary was extraordinary: her son would be called the Son of the Most High, would receive the throne of David, and would reign forever (Luke 1:32-33). From a Jewish perspective, this sounded like the long-awaited Messiah would overthrow Roman occupation and restore Israel's kingdom.
Early signs seemed to confirm these expectations. Shepherds worshiped her baby. Simeon and Anna recognized Him as the Messiah. Magi brought gifts fit for a king. As Jesus grew, He displayed unusual wisdom in the temple.
But then things didn't unfold as expected. Instead of gathering armies, Jesus gathered fishermen. Instead of political revolution, He preached about a different kind of kingdom. When His ministry intensified, Mary and His brothers even went to "take charge of Him," thinking He was out of His mind (Mark 3:21).
Yet Mary continued to surrender. When Jesus redirected her attempts to intervene, she trusted. And ultimately, she stood at the foot of the cross, watching her son die in agony—once again opening her hands and saying, "God, I trust you."
The Call to Surrender
Mary's story isn't just a beautiful Christmas narrative—it's a template for discipleship. Surrender means the willingness to release our own desires and perceived needs so we can come under God's will and direction. It means:
Surrendering where we go
Surrendering who we are (letting God define us)
Surrendering what He will do through us
This applies to every area of life, including how we parent. The greatest gift we can give our children isn't solving all their problems or being their primary source of wisdom—it's teaching them to be parented by their perfect Heavenly Father. When we model surrender and point them to God first, we prepare them for a life of walking with Him long after they leave our homes.
The Promise in Surrender
Surrender might sound daunting, even frightening. It requires releasing control and accepting that God's plans might include challenges we'd never choose. But here's the beautiful promise: God is with us in the midst of every challenge, every interruption, every loss. His presence brings peace that transcends our circumstances.
Mary needed Jesus not only as her son but as her Savior. She wasn't perfect or sinless—she was chosen, yes, but she needed redemption just like every one of us. The Savior born in Bethlehem must also be born in our hearts.
As we celebrate this season, the invitation stands: Will we live with open hands? Will we say, like Mary, "I am the Lord's servant"? Will we trust that no word from God will ever fail?
The life of surrender isn't easy, but it's the only life that truly satisfies. It's where we discover that God's plans are better than our own, His reputation more valuable than ours, and His purposes more glorious than we could ever imagine.
Here we are, Lord. Send us.
