Christmas has many beautiful life lessons for us. One that is especially helpful is what Mary said when the angel told her that she would be mother to the Christ child. Matthew 1: 38 quotes Mary saying, “Let it be to me according to your word.” She had started the encounter with fear and confusion but quickly let her trust in God’s way and will take over.
We tend to believe only what our physical senses tell us – usually we have to see it or hear it to believe it. We often have to experience it to believe it. We actually have additional and deeper senses that guide us, and Mary was tapping into these.
The sixth sense is what we feel on our inside, often called intuition. Animals are much better at paying attention to this than we are. An animal example is the tendency for there to be an Alpha dog, lead mare, or lead goose that the others automatically follow and don’t fight to be boss at the moment. Can you imagine a flock of geese flying overhead with such fighting?
We humans are so stubborn about wanting it to be our way or no way. That sets the stage for bickering, hurt feelings, and life messes. Sometimes we need to say “let it be” to life situations. This relates to the adage for us to choose our battles. If we attend to that sixth sense, all will flow better.
Mary quickly found the wisdom to yield to the Holy Spirit voice inside of her saying that all was well and to let it be as the angel said. We would also do well to often respond with “Let it be,” especially in our relationship with God.
