Mary's Magnificent God

My uncle asked me to read Mary's Magnificat and share a few thoughts at his house church's Christmas Eve service this year. Since this service is one of my absolute favorite parts of Christmas, I gladly agreed. I couldn't quite form my thoughts into a cohesive paragraph or two, so as I sat with my pencil and notebook, a poem sort of just popped out. Here is what I shared:


Mary, most ordinary in name
Desiring only and always God's fame
Her nature so lowly and meek
Identity only in God did she seek
A servant so humble and mild
Yet herself just older than a child
When news of a son was brought
Trust and obedience Mary sought
Through the Spirit she'd conceive a baby boy
"Let it be to me," she said with joy
To ensure God's praises would always ring
The Magnificat to our Lord did she sing:

Luke 1:46-55

My soul magnifies the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.
For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
for he who is mighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his name.
And his mercy is for those who fear him
from generation to generation.
He has shown strength with his arm; 
he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts;
he has brought down the mighty from their thrones
and exalted those of humble estate;
he has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he sent empty away.
He has helped his servant Israel,
in remembrance of his mercy,
as he spoke to our fathers,
to Abraham and to his offspring forever.

In the words of John Piper...

"The only people whose soul can truly magnify the Lord are people like...Mary--people who acknowledge their lowly estate and are overwhelmed by the condescension of the magnificent God."

What's YOUR Love Language?

Sorry that I haven't posted anything in a while--December is a crazy month of birthdays, trips, school, Christmas, packing, etc. etc. etc. 


Because my birthday and Christmas fall in the same month, it's often a time that I am showered with gifts (rough, huh?). This can either leave me feeling overwhelmingly loved or slightly unnerved (not sure if that's the right word, but we'll go with it for now). 


Receiving gifts has always left me with these two very drastic emotions, and I never really understand why until recently. Receiving gifts is my love language. 


When I learned this, I struggled with it for quite some time. Admitting it made me feel materialistic or shallow; however, that's not at all how God created me to be. I began to understand my heart and my love language more when I read The Five Love Languages and took the quiz. Here are my results:

Receiving Gifts

Don’t mistake this love language for materialism; the receiver of gifts thrives on the love, thoughtfulness, and effort behind the gift. If you speak this language, the perfect gift or gesture shows that you are known, you are cared for, and you are prized above whatever was sacrificed to bring the gift to you. A missed birthday or a hasty, thoughtless gift would be disastrous—so would the absence of everyday gestures.

Thanks Gary Chapman for summing up a huge piece of my heart into one paragraph. This is why I absolutely love giving gifts. This is why I pour my heart into the gifts I give--because that's how I show my love and thoughtfulness. 

Of course, this isn't the only way I receive love (and it's not the only way that I give love), but it's definitely at the top. 

I'd love to know what your love language is. How can I love you more completely? Take the quiz HERE and let me know what your results are! 

I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas!