And Mary said, "My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior ... for He who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is His Name." (Luke 1:46-47, 49)
I'm teaching my son to drive a car, and one of the things he needs to learn is that where your eyes go, the car goes. If you stare at the car that is approaching you on the other side of the road, you may hit it. Better to look at the road straight ahead of you, where you want your car to go.
"What you see is what you get." Mary knew that. Listen to her joy as she describes what has happened to her! She says, "My soul magnifies the Lord ... my spirit rejoices in God my Savior ... He has looked on me ... He who is mighty has done great things for me ... holy is His Name." She is focusing on the Lord. He is the One who means everything to her. Even in the middle of this mighty miracle, her heart returns to the Miracle Worker—to the Lord, who has chosen her.
Mary has her head on straight. There is no danger of her getting lost in the miracle—of making it all about herself—of turning the whole thing into a freak show or tourist attraction. She loves the Lord, and so she keeps the miracle in its proper place—as one more gift of love from her Lord.
Where are your eyes today? Take some time to stop and stare. Gaze at the baby Jesus in the manger—born into humanity for you. Watch as Jesus teaches, heals, comforts, and calls lost people to Himself. Fix your eyes on Him as He hangs on that cross for you. And look joyfully at Him as He meets you after the resurrection—loving you, forgiving you, and sending you out into His world to share His love with others.
What you see is what you get. Let's fix our eyes on Jesus!
THE PRAYER: Dear Lord Jesus, keep my eyes and my heart fixed on You. Amen.
Reflection Questions:
* When have you run into something? What caused your accident?
* Are there things in your life right now that are taking up too much of your attention? If so, what?
* What small habits could you begin that will help you focus on Jesus?
Advent Devotions were written by Dr. Kari Vo.
Today's Bible Readings: Psalms 79-80 Revelation 7
To Download Devotion MP3 to your computer, right click here and select "Save Link As" or "Save Target As" or "Download Linked File As"