Submission Begins with Mary

“Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” Luke 1:38

As I bid 2025 goodbye, I shared that my one-word resolution for 2026 would be submission, which means that I will surrender all to God. It didn’t take me long to realize that I picked a very challenging word. We are not even one month into the new year, and I am finding it very hard to submit my life completely to God. As much as I want to let go completely and trust God blindly, the control freak within me is struggling to let Him take charge of my every decision.

I have realized that I need help, and the best person who can teach me how to surrender my whole life to God is Mary. God created Mary for greatness, and she did not let Him down. Her special spiritual fruitfulness came from her openness to the Father’s will. Mary believed and trusted in God’s promise and wholeheartedly submitted herself to the will of God. I can learn how to surrender under her guidance.

When I want to take control of my own life, my own limitations keep me from fully reaching my potential, and I become discouraged. It is precisely then that I can learn from Mary. She teaches me that I am only an instrument in the Lord's hands, just like she was. This knowledge frees me from the presumption of thinking that I can do everything on my own. If I am to build a better world, then I better submit myself to God and let Him take charge. By imitating Mary, I too can be spiritually fruitful.

When Mary told the servants at the wedding at Cana, “Do whatever He tells you,” she was confident that Jesus would help out. This message is also for me. She is telling me to align my will with God and “Do whatever He tells me.” If I do what He tells me, He will help me out to be able to accomplish my mission. However, this requires trust. Trust that He is not going to abandon me on the journey. Trust that if He is asking something of me, He will provide the necessary tools to help me reach the goal. Even when the obstacles get in the way, and they will, I must keep trotting along with my eyes on the target.

Even Mary found obstacles in her mission, but she never lost her trust in God. When God sent her to Bethlehem, she packed up, got on top of a donkey, and together with Joseph, she went to Bethlehem. When everyone turned them away because there was no room at the inns, she found lodging at a stable and that’s where she delivered the Son of God. She did not understand, but she trusted in God’s provision. Later, when God told her not to return to Nazareth, but instead, go to Egypt, she obeyed and she trusted. And she stayed in Egypt until God told her that it was safe to return to her home. Her path was not straight and wide, it was twisted and narrow, but she trusted that God would provide what she needed every step of the way. And she teaches me that if I submit my life to God, He will also provide what I need, even if at times, I don’t like it, and I want to take charge of the situation. I just have to trust and let go. And He will lead me where I need to go.

As I align my will to God’s, I must remember that God can see the whole picture, whereas I only see what is right in front of me. What may seem to me like an obstacle or a deviation from my plans may be God’s way to lead me on a more secure road. When God sent Mary to Egypt instead of back to Nazareth, she was probably confused. Why would God send her to a foreign country, where she did not know anyone, instead of allowing her to return to her home, her family, and her friends? But God was saving Jesus’ life. He could see the whole picture. He knew that Herod was not going to stop until he found Jesus and killed him. They were not safe anywhere in Israel; therefore, He had to send them to another country. Mary did not know this, but she trusted that God had her best interest at heart because He was protecting not just her but His Son. I must always remember this when God sends me on a journey that I don’t understand. He knows best, and He is looking out for me because He loves me.

Whenever I find myself filled with anxiety and scared of the unknown, I remember this message from Proverbs 3:5-6: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight.”

May we all learn from Mary and submit our lives to God. When we cannot understand His plans, let’s remember that He is working out His master plan. God is always present in our lives, and He is always leading us in the right direction, as long as we allow Him. We just need to align His will to ours, trust Him, and surrender all to Him, just like Mary did.

Copyright © 2026 Christy Romero. All rights reserved. If you thought of someone while reading this, bless them by sharing it with them.