The Favored One

It is the first day of the Good Morning Girls Advent study leading up to Christmas and God is already touching my heart through His Word and the story of His Son's birth.  So far this holiday season I have been finding it difficult to get into the "Christmas spirit" thanks to the balmy California weather that has my body feeling like it is spring time rather than heading into winter. But Christmas is about more than snowflakes, warm winter coats, hot chocolate, cookies, decorations, and even family.  So in all the hustle and bustle of the holiday season I am grateful to have this study as a daily reminder of the true reason for this joyous season.  I invite you to join me by downloading the free resources (e-book and scripture reading guide) from Good Morning Girls!

"Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the descendants of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. And coming in, he said to her, 'Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.' But she was very perplexed at this statement, and kept pondering what kind of salutation this was. The angel said to her, 'Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father Davide; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.'" ~Luke 1:26-33

Mary found favor with God and so He choose her to bear His Son, Jesus. Based on this passage, bearing God's Son sounds like a blessing, and it was, but was not without considerable difficulty and trials. First of all, Mary was an unmarried virgin. For her to show up pregnant would be disgraceful for her and she had to bear the judgement of others because God favored her and chose her to bear His Son. Secondly, being Jesus's mother had to be excruciatingly difficult. When her Son was still a baby they had to flea their own country because people were seeking to kill her child- how terrifying! And she eventually had to watch her own child be tortured and killed, something I cannot imagine as a mother myself.

This is the kind of life God planned for His "favored one." It couldn't have been easy, but it was a blessed life because Mary had the honor of serving her Lord in a very significant way. The story of how God blessed Mary, the favored one, gives me new perspective on blessings. It is an honor and a blessing to serve the Lord even if that blessing comes with a lifetime of hardship and heartache. Comfort in this life is not the greatest blessing. I must live with my eyes on eternity and be grateful for the blessings in my life, the opportunities to serve God even when it is challenging and difficult.