Yield Signs

My daughter will begin driving soon. Driving classes, practice hours behind the wheel, and tests over Texas driving laws will soon consume her time. She will learn to navigate both the freeway and the parking lot, and she will learn to observe road signs, like the yield sign. This bright yellow triangle indicates that traffic on a smaller road must give way to or yield to traffic on a larger road. The bigger road goes first. Yield signs keep traffic moving safely in the right direction.

Yielding also takes us in the right spiritual direction.

In Luke 1, Gabriel appears to a very young Mary and delivers some unsettling news:

You are highly favored.                (Who me?)

The LORD is with you.                    (Really?)

You will be with child—a son.     (A baby? Joe will freak out.)

You will call him Jesus.                 ( Hope Joe’s ok with that.)

He will be God’s son.                       (The Messiah?)

He will reign forever.                      (Wow.)

This angelic announcement must have made Mary’s head spin. Here is her response:

“ ‘I am the Lord’s servant,’ Mary answered. ‘May it be to me as you have said.’ Then the angel left her.”                                  Luke 1:38 (NIV)

Yield signs.

God is bigger than Mary and she gives Him the right of way. His will becomes hers.

How is your yielding?

When God speaks, do you yield and obey or do you gun the engine and head into a fender-bender?

Mary successfully passed her spiritual driving test because she had practiced yielding beforehand. The same will hold true for you and me. If you yield and obey in small things, you form good spiritual habits. Spend some time behind the spiritual wheel this week and practice yielding. Yielding to God scores well on the test every time.