Mary, like us, is confused and startled when God calls her. Yet without relinquishing an ounce of her confusion and doubt, she chooses to accept this disruptive invitation from God.

Joel 2:12-13, 28-29 - In these verses, Joel doesn’t speak of God’s need for us to live up to the grand promises we make to God. Instead, he speaks about God’s longing to dwell with us right where we are, in the complexities and pains and broken hopes and regrets of our lives. “Rend your hearts and not your clothing,” God says through Joel. All God requires of us is what life eventually makes in us: a broken heart.