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

Editor’s note: This Advent, the Catholic Women in Business team is exploring the many ways God calls us to cooperate with his will and how we can proclaim our own “fiat.” Join our writers as they share their personal and professional experiences, lessons learned, and reflections from Scripture and the saints on discernment, trust, and surrender. Read more here.

9 Months of Waiting

“Mary was pregnant for nine months.”

I had never given much thought to Mary’s pregnancy, a small—but extremely important—part of the Nativity story. The angel came, Mary said “yes,” she immediately visited her cousin, and then she traveled to Bethlehem and gave birth to the Messiah. But, after hearing a talk on the Holy Spirit and the Incarnation, this simple but powerful statement has been pressing onto my heart.

In many ways, it is easier to see the Nativity story and the events leading up to the birth of Jesus as three major events happening one after the other. We forget that it was nine months from Mary’s “yes” to that manger in Bethlehem. Nine months of waiting and preparing for Jesus’ birth. Nine months of facing judgment, criticism, and humiliation. Nine months of baby Jesus growing in her belly.

With Mary’s fiat came nine months of waiting for the birth of the Messiah. She didn’t say “yes” and then boom! Jesus was born. Her fiat came with difficulties and struggles and the ordinariness of everyday life. It had a season of waiting that invited her to deeper surrender and trust in God’s will—a surrender and trust that she would need as the Mother of God.

I have been reflecting on discernment and the season of waiting within my own life: Discerning a vocation of marriage and children and being very much single. Discerning what I thought my professional career would look like (doing educational policy work) and realizing that’s not where I am being called.

I am in a season of waiting, and I am learning that I am not very patient with God’s timeline for my vocation of marriage or the next steps in my professional career. I struggle with surrendering and trusting God’s will; I am more inclined to spouts of comparison, jealousy, confusion, disappointment, and resentment. It seems too hard and difficult to model Mary’s fiat when I want my “yes” to happen now.

Cultivating Patience and Trust

Lately, though, I have realized that our big fiats are made up of small, everyday fiats. The specular moment of Mary’s fiat came from years of ordinary, everyday yeses to God. It came from a relationship with God. It came from waiting and a daily surrender of trust to a God who would fulfill his promises to Israel.

In Mary’s season of waiting, she could feel the Messiah moving and kicking as babies do in the womb. I imagine her tenderly and loving rubbing her belly, speaking softly to Jesus as she prepared for his birth. Perhaps her waiting for his birth helped prepare her to wait to see him again in Heaven after his Ascension.

A “yes” can be followed by a season of waiting that we have no control over. And seasons of waiting are difficult. It can make no sense that we have given our “yes” to God only to have to wait. But, if we reframe our perspective, it can be a time of deeper surrender and trust.

Mary had a specular “yes” and a beautiful waiting season that prepared her heart for things to come. Our waiting season can be the same, preparing our heart for what comes with our “yes.” With our fiat, God is calling us closer to his heart.

God Is With Us

God has not abandoned me, and he has not abandoned you. He is with us at our “yes,” and he is with us as we wait for the fulfillment of his promises. Mary was never alone during her waiting season; she had Jesus close to her. We, too, are never alone; Jesus is close and is walking besides us. We need only to look at a Nativity scene to be reminded that Jesus is here.

Each of our seasons of waiting will look different. Yours is a part of your story that only you can tell to bring glory to God’s Kingdom. But we are all waiting, saying small “yeses” every day as we prepare for an eternity with Christ. He wants our heart and soul now and for eternity. 

This Advent, as we wait for the Messiah, let’s reframe our perspective and use this time for deeper surrender and trust. We are all waiting for a life of eternity with Christ. May our fiats—big and small—bring us closer to his heart and to our eternal home.

Alexandra (Alex) Harrel resides in Irving, Texas. She is a new student affairs professional within the world of higher education. In her spare time, she loves reading, listening to podcasts, and spending time outdoors. Her favorite prayer is Hail, Holy Queen. You can follow her on Instagram at @2012alexandra.