Mary Said YES to shame

I sat down this morning to read Luke 1 to my boys...  (I saw a suggestion to read one chapter of Luke every day of December!) and so I thought...here goes!

When I opened my Bible I saw highlights from this time last year.

Mary said YES.  Mary was greatly troubled.  Mary said YES to the unknown.   A remembering the words from Honest Advent that say the presence of God felt like UNEASE.

I recorded this in 2022.  As I re-listened, I was struck by how this idea of shame and putting shame to death has unearthed as a passion of mine.

Shame wants to keep our secrets HIDDEN.  Shame wants us in isolation - this is the work of evil.

What does it look like for us to be SEEN, to reveal our pain, our secrets, our mistakes?

What I have seen over and over again is that it frees others up to do the same.

Speaking our secrets out-loud brings LIFE, CONNECTION, UNITY, COMPASSION.

In Luke 1 we see a deeply troubled woman saying YES to God for the sake of LOVE.  A willingness to be seen...to be misunderstood...to receive scorn.

There were many who misunderstood her.  And Mary, I'm sure, stayed misunderstood by many throughout her life.

This brings me comfort in the midst of my mistakes, my regrets, my longings, my experience, my sin, my pain, and my desire to move forward with love, openness and honesty.

May we approach each other in these ways using the Christmas story as evidence that God uses our messes and used a MESS to love us with HIS ultimate love.