“And Mary sang this song: “My soul is ecstatic, overflowing with praises to God! My spirit bursts with joy over my life-giving God! For he set his tender gaze upon me, his lowly servant girl. And from here on, everyone will know that I have been favored and blessed. The Mighty One has worked a mighty miracle for me; holy is his name! Mercy kisses all his godly lovers, from one generation to the next. Mighty power flows from him to scatter all those who walk in pride. Powerful princes he tears from their thrones and he lifts up the lowly to take their place. Those who hunger for him will always be filled, but the smug and self-satisfied he will send away empty. Because he can never forget to show mercy, he has helped his chosen servant, Israel, Keeping his promises to Abraham and to his descendants forever.””
‭‭Luke‬ ‭1:46-55‬ ‭TPT‬‬

If you think about it, this is an astounding song to sing given Mary’s circumstances. Here she is, finding out that she’s going to get pregnant by immaculate conception (the first and last time in all of history), that she’s going to have to endure the stares and ridicule of friends and family during her pregnancy, that she’s going to have to explain the aforementioned never-happened-before conception to her betrothed Joseph, that she’s been given the responsibility of raising the literal son of God (at the tender age of 14ish), that she’s just had one of the larger spiritual targets of all time put on her back, that she’s… well you get the picture…

This young woman, not even counting what was on her plate before Gabriel’s announcement, just had <several> heaping, steaming piles of stress, drama, blessing, and holy-moly-what-just-happened-here? added to that plate. I can imagine we can all relate just a bit to her emotions at the time. Maybe not all of them, but empathy for what this woman must have been thinking and feeling is not totally unknown to us.

I’m not sure I personally would have embraced the blessing quite so quickly. As a woman and a mom I think I would have counted the cost a little bit more first- if the truth be known.

And yet this woman, this child really- counted it not. Unlike her cousin Elizabeth’s situation, there wasn’t a single question in this young momma’s mind regarding the fantastical story she just learned her part in. None- beyond asking simply how it would happen. What faith! What insight! What vision to embrace the blessing- the endgame- before the game even starts! She saw beyond the obvious issues and problems that this sort of situation would put her through. She didn’t stop to count the cost of the radical life-trajectory change she was just informed of. No. She embraced the blessing.

Mary unapologetically bragged of her elevation in God’s kingdom. She praised His plan and purpose in her life. She proclaimed His glory through her for all generations. She sang His praises, His glory, His faithfulness to all who would hear. She told of His story in her life and even within her body without fear or shame.

Mary did it right. She took God’s work in and though her; taking the ugly, the bad, and the good and lifting His Name on high.

Can we do the same? Can we see the endgame- choosing to not count the cost- and embrace the blessing instead?