What made Mary so spectacular? Why was she chosen to be the mother of Immanuel, our Savior? Why did she stand out? She must have known that there was a possibility, that Joseph would not marry her, when he found out she was pregnant.  Yet she chose to obey the Lord, in spite of the shame, she may have had to bear.  Our Heavenly Father must have known that she would obey this unique and unusual call on her life.  Would He have chosen me? Would He have chosen you?

I wonder what the innkeeper thought about Mary and Joseph the night Jesus was born?  Quite a few people had come to be taxed and space is practically nil.  Mary is experiencing labor pains and is about to give birth.  There are no hospitals, no doctors or nurses and not even a midwife is in sight.  Her birthing room is a stable, where the animals are kept.  She is not the star in this narrative, though, but neither is she a mere participant.  She is the one chosen to be the mother of the Savior of the world.  She would be His earthly teacher, protector, defender. What qualities would such a woman have to possess to be fitted for such a role? She would have to be a woman of strength and dignity; she would have to possess integrity and honor.  Her cousin, Elizabeth, tells her, “Blessed are you among women” (Mark 1:42).  Such high praise for such a young person!

More than 2,000 years later, we are here, because Mary fulfilled her responsibility.  Her response was according to Luke 1:38 “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” Today, we have all been given a role/responsibility; a gift.  We have been chosen to perform a profitable work. Do we desire to be ‘blessed among women’?  Do we chose to do our work well?  In order to do so, we need to be women of ‘strength and dignity’.  We need to possess integrity and become honorable women. May we choose to obey the Lord’s call for our lives, in spite of the circumstances or consequences.  May we realize His unfailing faithfulness to us.   May we all choose to say like Mary: ‘Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word’.

As the year quickly comes to an end, let us take the time to evaluate 2017.  Where are we spiritually?  What qualities do we need to work on acquiring? Now is a great time to begin!

One of my absolute favorite Christmas carols is this one, written by Buddy Greene and Mark Lowry called “Mary, did you know?”

I love this song. Such profound words!

Thank you to all who participated in November’s Giveaway.  I do appreciate it.  Congratulations to Mrs. Dougherty.  I know you will enjoy reading the book!  Thank you all again.

I would love for you to ‘Follow’ the blog and thank you to all who have already done so.

Have a blessed day and remember God’s love is unfailing, unwavering and unconditional!