Receiving a thoughtful gift can be great. Knowing that someone intentionally purchased something with you in mind brings feelings that you will cherish for a long time. But sometimes, accepting a gift can come with risks – especially the most meaningful ones. For example, people invite us into the gift of friendship. Accepting friendships brings in many major risks. Friends can hurt us with their words, let us down, or even stab us in the back. So, if we are afraid of the risks, sometimes we will turn down the gift.

I think we often forget the risks involved in Mary receiving the gift of carrying the Messiah in her womb. Sure, she would become the mother of the eternal King, but she was also an unmarried virgin. If she became pregnant before she and Joseph were married, what would that mean for her, her family, Joseph, and her place in the community? That doesn’t even include the pain a mother would endure in watching her son be rejected, mocked, and crucified. We clearly see the blessing of being favored for the role of being the mother of Jesus, but we tend to forget all that she was willing to lose for this gift. She risked divorce, loneliness, rejection, and social shame.

What is it that helped Mary accept this gift even with all of the risks? I think we find that answer in her response to the angel in Luke 1:38.

“I am the Lord’s servant…” Mary’s acceptance and confidence in her status as being a beloved servant in the house of God is what gave her power to accept a gift with such great risks. Mary only received this gift from God, accepted the risk, and enjoyed its blessings because she trusted the goodness of her God. Otherwise, she may have never seen this as a gift at all.

The greatest gifts that God offers us can also come with the greatest risks. We can only receive them when we root ourselves in an identity of being a loved servant of God. In this Christmas season, is there a gift that God is offering you that comes with some potential risks?