“You have found favor with God.” Luke 1:30

Being visited by an angelic being wasn’t your every day occurrence. The young Mary must have marveled as she processed what the angel Gabriel was declaring. God had chosen Mary to be mother of His One and Only Son. Who and how does one qualify for this kind of stuff? An average girl used for extraordinary purposes. Looking into Mary’s life, we can only get a glimpse of the reality she walked in as she raised and nurtured the very One she had learned about in the prophecy’s. Mary would give birth to the divine gift of heaven. Yet, she too, a sinner was in need of a Savior. Mary’s life was a beautiful tapestry of motherhood and true discipleship. We can only marvel and appreciate the great sacrifices she had to make. She would be faced with difficult decisions that would require her to release her will over to the Lord. Mary’s calling would come with a great price, but the rewards she would receive would outweighed her pain.

Motherhood is one of those joys filled with excitement, years of hard work and moments of intense pain. As women, we too, are faced daily with decisions that require a great dose of faith as we turn over our will in obedience to what the Lord is asking of us. Raising kids has got to be one of those most challenging and yet most rewarding of God’s assignments. Like Mary, we may function in the role of caregiving but as believers we are His disciples too! Every believer has the responsibility, privilege and honor, of carrying Christ!

Do you believe, I mean really believe, that God wants to use you an ordinary girl for His extraordinary purposes? If the answer is ‘yes’, what, in your life may be preventing you from taking that next step? I join with you in prayer for your journey as God navigates the needed steps. Let’s explore together this amazing life of Mary and glean from her this extraordinary faith and acts of obedience even when the evidence appears contrary. I may not know the details of what you are walking through today. But God does! His truths are timely. May He do a work beyond our understanding.

We all know life holds many challenges. We wake up everyday unsure of what lies before us. But one thing is sure and that is God’s provision and protection. He is working out our circumstances, all the while drawing us closer to His Daddy heart. What you are going through today and how you respond will impact the rest of your life. It’s not too late. Cling to Him and let Him work out the details.

Is it your marriage, your health, your babies…your job, your co-worker, your finances…retired and wondering what to focus on in this season…whatever circumstances you find yourself in today, God has the answer!

The Scripture that we will work from initially in the coming days is Luke 1:26-55. I urge you to read it several times. It is an account in history that holds rich truths that apply to you and me today. Let God’s Spirit massage these truths into your heart. Throughout your day you will find yourself thinking as His message begins to resonate deep within. We read too quickly now a days. That’s if we read at all. We have time. Let’s give Him access to our whole heart and mind. We are consumed with too many worries. Release them and expect answers as you do. Choosing His will over our own.

Let’s begin. I imagine Mary, a young girl of maybe 12 or 13 at the time, going about her daily chores with a song in her heart as she allowed her mind to wander. She had her whole future ahead of her. She was now engaged to a carpenter named Joseph. He had credentials behind his family of the royal lineage of King David. This time next year she would be married and in a home of her own. The days ahead held great promise but also great testing of her faith.

I have never been visited by an angel, but there you have it. It was a sure thing. And the words he spoke…”behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His Name Jesus.” Whoa, whoa. Gabriel lays out the prophecy. I do recall the mention of Mary being a virgin. Talk about your personal EPT…early can’t be stressed enough. And accurate, too. This highly favored girl had to have some real concerns. Unwed pregnancy was looked at a bit differently back then. You could get stoned for it. I am sure that when she discovers later that the angel made a visit to her beau Joseph with the same message a sigh of relieve would come. But there would still be the whispers of those in town. Having to contend with their judgments would not be easy but not impossible either.

I was one of those girls. Yep. Those girls. Things are changing in our society today and there is a greater acceptance of unplanned pregnancy. I believe every pregnancy is a miracle! That baby is a gift. Our pregnancies may not be the miraculous conception type and we certainly will suffer the consequences of having a baby out of wedlock. But God will use those circumstances and all for His glory if we turn to Him.

That little life inside of you may be your first realization that the Creator has given you the ability to carry and to behold a life of a little human being growing inside of you. Just because it is unplanned doesn’t mean God doesn’t have a plan!

Right now may or may not be the appropriate time to look at the views our culture holds towards virginity and our commitment in marriage versus what is biblical. I hadn’t planned to take this left turn but there must be someone out there who needs encouragement. Let me be the one to do it. If you are doubting your ability to take on this new responsibility than scratch that thought. Because God has entrusted you with that little one. That baby already has a purpose and it is being fulfilled as we talk right now. Make no mistake this is not a mistake. Yes, it was sin when you fell to the temptation of premarital sex but the life inside of you is God’s. How you choose to move forward can go many ways. May I convince you that faith is the only way?

I don’t think Mary had any idea either of what her true calling would entail. God only gave her the initial step: ‘you are going to have a baby’. I don’t see any mention of all of the steps in between. She would have to rely on God daily for the needed next step. We find ourselves in that same place.

We all dream of the perfect guy and marriage everlasting. We have our ceremony and even our dress all picked out. Then one choice changes our direction. It didn’t take God by surprise so don’t let it knock you down. God is a God of second, third, and fourth chances. His Love is the ultimate and He wants to extend it to you today. Will you receive it? No judgments here.

Father God, we know that we reside in the very palm of your hand. There is no safer place to be. Hold my sisters today. Comfort them. Strengthen them. Remind them of Your Love toward them. In Jesus Name, we pray. Amen.