Reading: Luke 1:26-38 (Mary's encounter with the angel)
Devotional: When the angel appeared to the shepherds, their first reaction wasn't celebration—it was terror. Before joy comes fear; before comfort comes trembling. This pattern appears throughout Scripture because God's work in our lives requires transformation, and transformation is unsettling. Mary, like the shepherds, was "greatly troubled" before she embraced her calling. God must often unsettle us to steady us, disrupt our ordinary to give us something extraordinary. The fears you feel when God calls you to something new aren't signs you're on the wrong path—they may be evidence you're on the threshold of something significant. God's invitation into deeper joy often looks scary at first because it requires us to trust Him beyond our comfort zones.
Reflection: What invitation from God makes you fearful? How might that fear actually be pointing you toward growth?
Devotional: When the angel appeared to the shepherds, their first reaction wasn't celebration—it was terror. Before joy comes fear; before comfort comes trembling. This pattern appears throughout Scripture because God's work in our lives requires transformation, and transformation is unsettling. Mary, like the shepherds, was "greatly troubled" before she embraced her calling. God must often unsettle us to steady us, disrupt our ordinary to give us something extraordinary. The fears you feel when God calls you to something new aren't signs you're on the wrong path—they may be evidence you're on the threshold of something significant. God's invitation into deeper joy often looks scary at first because it requires us to trust Him beyond our comfort zones.
Reflection: What invitation from God makes you fearful? How might that fear actually be pointing you toward growth?
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