Can you imagine how it must have felt for Mary to hear Jesus say this? It must have hurt. But there was more to come, as Mary had to watch her son die a gruesome and shameful death.
In the days before he rose again, did Mary wonder with the disciples whether it had all gone totally wrong? Afterwards it must have been overwhelming as she gradually came to understand the significance of her son’s life and death — for her and for the rest of the world.
Thinking about Mary encourages us to explore the idea of exactly what it looks like to be used by God. After all, are we supposed to find the right thing, the right 'ministry' so that we might get closer to God? Not quite — you see, God works the other way around. He's far more interested in the quality of our relationship with him.
We don’t have to understand exactly what God's going to do with us - Mary didn’t know the full story until after Jesus resurrection. And we don’t have to feel that we are up to the task; Mary asked Gabriel how on earth all of it was going to happen and he promised that the Holy Spirit would overshadow her. In the same way, God promises his Holy Spirit to help us do what we couldn’t do alone.
What steps can you take today to move you closer to God’s will for your life?