Then Mary said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her. – Luke 1: 38

Many mothers see themselves as the end point for their newborn baby. Rightly so. They have carried that child from seed to embryo, then from embryo to a full grown kicking and screaming little human being. The goal of the baby’s birth is to pass through its mother’s birth channel and land safely into her arms. The end. Right? Nope!

In spite of all the pain she endured to make the birth possible, the mother is the not end point for the baby. Instead, she is the vessel through which the baby passes on the way to its destiny in life. Mary understood that by being chosen to be the mother of Jesus, she was being used by God as a vessel through which to bring salvation into the world.

She never thought of being a vessel of God as merely being used by God. Rather…

1. She thought of it as a privilege. Of all the woman in the world, God chose her and called her highly favored. When we become vessels of God, we are not abused as slaves. We are tapped to be a part of the glorious work of God as willing and humbled servants. “Behold the maidservant of the Lord!” – Luke 1: 38

2. She thought of it as pressure. Mary was not just having a baby boy. She was having the Son of God. That’s pressure! Being a vessel of God carries its own unique pressure because now, not only is your baby counting on you, but so is God and so is the world which is waiting to be blessed by the fruit of your womb. “And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.” – Luke 1: 31-33

3. She thought of it has an opportunity to praise. Mary could not have known the full extent of what was about to happen to her and through her. Still, she had sense enough to praise God for placing her on His divine program. No wonder she exclaimed:

. . . My soul doth magnify the Lord, And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. – Luke 1: 46-48