Conversations With Cinthia

Have you ever struggled to trust God as you watched your life unfold differently than you thought it would?  For some, 2020 has been an exercise in loss and disappointment, and some have seen gifts come quietly with the change.  How do trust and acceptance apply when we struggle to deal with the reality of life as it is?  Mary was a young girl, probably about thirteen years old, probably still living with her parents when an angel appeared and told her she was going to give birth as a virgin to the Son of God.  This was an incredible blessing, and Mary seems to have been able to see this.  However, it also meant that her life was at risk since she could now be charged with adultery, and it carried tremendous losses, such as those to her reputation and her dreams of a wedding, marriage, and family life.  Mary responded by stating that she was the Lord’s handmaiden and stating, “Let it be to me just as He said.”  In the middle of our joys and pains, gifts and losses, wonderful surprises and crushing disappointm