Here Am I

East Window
-- an article by Velma Cozzutto

Elizabeth will bear you a son and you will name him John. Luke 1: 13
Mary…you will conceive in your womb and bear a son and you will name him Jesus. Luke 1:31

When our fourth and last child was on the way, we more or less expected another daughter after we already had three. We even had a name picked for her. To our delighted surprise, we had a son and had to change Linda to Lyndon.
Long before ultrasound took the suspense out of most births, both Elizabeth and Mary knew the gender and the name of their child before birth. The only question would be who they took after in physical features. John could look like his father, but Jesus' physical features would have to come from Mary's family. Both children would be the only son of their fathers, John of Zechariah and Jesus of His Heavenly Father.
When our son was born, one big change was that I couldn't hand clothes down from an older child and there would be other accommodations for a male child. For Mary and Elizabeth, their lives became part of earth-shaping events that dramatically changed any established way of life. Elizabeth welcomed the son that would take away the disgrace of childlessness. Mary must have had sleepless nights over the prospect of the disgrace of pregnancy without marriage. Yet she said, "Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word."
And isn't that the secret of our being a blessing to the world, just accepting the role He has for us to play and trusting Him through any consequences?

Father, the world so badly needs "Here am I" people today. Help us make ourselves truly available. --Velma Cozzutto (Velma is a friend who allows me to post her articles on my blog)