Luke 1:46-49

And Mary said: “My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for the Mighty One has done great things for me— holy is his name. - Luke 1:46-49

Dear Heavenly Father,

I want to be like Mary. She had just found out that she was pregnant outside of marriage by the Holy Spirit. She was young, unmarried and poor. But she was loved by you, by her fiance and her family. More than that, she looked beyond the discomforts of serving God and people to the blessings of having the opportunity to give big back to God. She knew she was saved and she knew she had a significant impact to give the world. Those two blessings, security and significance, are the two greatest needs of the human soul. You met them both for Mary. She knew it and so she praised. I know you have made me secure and significant too. But the ways you have called me to serve you and others have cost me comfort just as it did Mary. Help me to ignore the cost and to count it all joy to love you "big" as I love "big" the people you have given me to serve. Make me a positive, praising, working to bless kind of person just like you and your mother, Mary were.

Amen

Pastor Don Patterson

Serving God and others isn't near as burdensome as we make it. At attitude of praise and thanks will cut the load in half.