serenity despite powerlessness

Today I was on "Step 1, Day 15" in the Life Recovery Devotional. I was surprised to see the topic, since today is Christmas! Let me replicate it here, if you don't mind...

"There are times in life when we are powerless over the circumstances around us. We're not in the driver's seat. We have to do things someone else's way. And often, the whole experience is uncomfortable and frightening. During these times we can find hope and serenity in the promises of God.

"Mary was in her early teens when destiny took her by the hand. She was greeted by an angel who announced that she had been chosen by God to be the mother of the Messiah. She found herself pregnant, much to the confusion of her fiance, family, friends, and neighbors. After the angel returned to visit her fiance, he believed Mary's story and married her. When the time came to give birth, she and Joseph were required to travel the long, difficult journey to Bethlehem. There, in a smelly stable carved out of the side of a rocky hill, she delivered the baby. No one but her husband was there to attend Jesus' birth.

"What power did she have over her circumstances? She was powerless under the will of God, the decree of the state, the limitations of their finacial poverty, and the demands of her body. And yet, by holding on to the promises God had given her, she found serenity in her powerlessness and gave birth to the Savior. When we are powerless, we can find serenity by holding on to the pormises of God. When we do this, we will find new life and salvation being born again into our lives."

For more info on the Life Recovery Devotional go here...