Deacon Tam Tran

TRUSTING

“Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38).
“Nothing will be impossible for God” (Luke 1:37).
“Cast all your anxieties on Him, because He cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7).

Letting go is not exactly humanity’s strong suit. If there were an Olympic event for “holding on too long,” most of us would get a medal—probably gold, silver, and bronze. The coronavirus pandemic just exposed what was already true: we really, really like being in control. Suddenly, we were told to stop going places, stop hugging people, stop touching everything in sight, and—worst of all—stop living our carefully curated routines. And even though the incentive was pretty serious (you know, avoiding sickness… or death), it was still incredibly hard.

Because here’s the truth: even without a global pandemic, letting go is difficult on a good day. We cling to things like they’re life rafts in the middle of the ocean—even when those things are clearly sinking.

Take clothing, for example. Why is it so hard to let go of an old sweatshirt? You know the one that are hanging on by a thread. It’s stretched out, stained, and probably shouldn’t be worn in public—but it knows you. It’s seen you at your worst. It understands your emotional eating habits. Same thing with jeans that know every curve and twist of our body, even though they are pretty ripped apart. You buy new ones, confident you’re finally moving on… and then proceed to wear the old pair for another two years. Because they’re comfortable. Because they’ve earned your loyalty.

Shoes are another emotional battlefield. I once had a pair so worn out that they had actual holes in the soles. I bought a brand-new pair—nice, supportive, everything a responsible adult should want. But did I wear them? Of course not. I kept the old ones until they were practically begging for mercy. Sound familiar?

We laugh about it, but it reveals something deeper: letting go feels like loss, even when what we’re holding onto isn’t helping us anymore.

And that’s why what Mary did is so astonishing.

Letting go is not easy—but it is nowhere near as hard as what the Blessed Mother Mary did.

In Luke 1:38, Mary responds to the angel Gabriel with words that are breathtaking in their simplicity and courage: “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38). In other words, Mary looked at an impossible, terrifying, life-altering situation and said, “Okay, God. I trust You.”

That may be the greatest “YES” in human history.

Mary didn’t say yes to a well-laid plan or a five-step outline with a guaranteed happy ending. She didn’t get a spoiler alert for how things would turn out. She didn’t know that decades later her Son would be brutally crucified. She didn’t know about the Resurrection, the empty tomb, the angels, the Ascension, or Jesus seated at the right hand of the Father. She didn’t get the whole story.

All she had was God’s word—and she let go.

Honestly, if Mary were alive today, she might have said, “Let it be,” and somewhere in the background the Beatles would start playing. But this wasn’t poetic surrender. This was real surrender, with real consequences. Saying yes meant risking her reputation, her engagement, her safety—possibly even her life. Being pregnant outside of marriage was no small scandal.

Stoning wasn’t a metaphor back then.

And yet Mary trusted.

Why? Because her heart was already trained to believe what the angel reminded her: “Nothing will be impossible for God” (Luke 1:37).

That’s the doctrine we struggle with. We believe in God—right up until things feel out of control. Then we panic, strategize, overthink, and cling. Mary had learned long before the angel arrived that God’s power doesn’t depend on her understanding. Her faith made space for surrender.

And that’s where this story meets us.

Because chances are, there’s something heavy on your heart right now. Maybe it’s a relationship you can’t fix no matter how hard you try. Maybe it’s a marriage hanging on by a thread. Maybe it’s a child you’re praying for, a diagnosis you didn’t expect, or a financial burden that keeps you up at night. Maybe it’s fear, grief, addiction, regret, or guilt over something you wish you could undo.

We all have our version of the old sweatshirt—something familiar, painful, worn out, but hard to release.

God doesn’t ask us to pretend it doesn’t hurt. He asks us to trust Him with it.

Scripture reminds us, “Cast all your anxieties on Him, because He cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7).

That doesn’t mean God magically fixes everything the way we want. It means we stop trying to carry what was never meant for our shoulders alone.

Life teaches us this lesson over and over. Sometimes it’s through loss. Sometimes through failure. Sometimes through unexpected detours that force us to loosen our grip. Looking back, many of us can see moments where letting go—though terrifying—led to growth, healing, or grace we never could have planned.

Mary shows us that surrender isn’t weakness. It is strength rooted in trust.

God can do infinitely more through our surrender than we could ever do through our control.

Following in Mary’s footsteps doesn’t mean life will be easy—but it means we won’t be alone.

And when we finally loosen our grip and say, “Let it be,” we make room for God to do what only He can do. Because nothing—absolutely nothing—is impossible for God.