Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” That is deep and huge. And we know it was not just lip service. There is a beautiful hymn “I surrender all to Jesus”. Part of the lyrics says: “all to him I freely give; I will ever love and trust him; in his presence daily live; make me, Savior, wholly thine”.  Swimming reminds me of this kind of abandonment to God. I marvel at people who could float on water. It is like a miracle to me. I have tried it several times. Each time I panicked, afraid that I was going to drown. I would beat the hell out of the water in the name of treading water, and then down I go. I understand that floating is easy for those who have learnt the art of letting go. In life, the fear of losing out holds us from surrendering fully to Jesus. One of our professors in the seminary once changed the lyrics to “I surrender ‘some’” instead of ‘all’. The fear of losing what we have – control, pleasure, freedom, etc. – makes us surrender some and hold back some. We think that by doing so, we’ll be happier, and more fulfilled. Ironically, it’s only when we surrender to God completely that we are truly alive.  

Prayer: Lord, may Mary’s example help us to trust you, and abandon ourselves in your loving hands. Amen.