Just Like Mary

Often times we don’t feel very blessed. As a matter of fact, we don’t feel blessed at all. We don’t see the blessing of waking up each morning to get our kids ready or family out the door. We don’t see the blessing in having to cook and clean. We don’t see the blessing of having to go to work. We just don’t see it because we’re focused on the routine of getting through yet another day.

New Season of Bloom

But did it ever occur to you to really think about how blessed you are.

When you look at Luke chapter 1 verse 28 – it says that an angel came to Mary and he said to her “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!”

Notice the exclamation point at the end. It was an excited statement. We’re used to a solemn announcement but it wasn’t. It was done with a loud and excited delivery.
Jesus was deposited in Mary. There was excitement about how favored she was – highly favored - and how blessed she was.

Did you know that you’re just like Mary – in God’s eyes? You have Jesus in you – the Holy Spirit of the living God inside of you.

Just like Mary you are favored – highly favored and blessed among women.

Wow can you get that? Do you get that?

Mary was considered the most favored woman in the history of the human race…and for some reason we think she continues to be the only one. We can’t see that we are as blessed because it has been ingrained in our minds that she is the untouchable-holy woman.

So here’s a question to all you doubters. What made the difference when God chose Mary?

It was not the announcement. It was her willingness to accept Jesus into her life despite of who she was, how she was viewed in society, what family she came from, etc. etc. etc.

You are highly favored and blessed among women because the same Jesus that lived in Mary lives in you.

Full Bloom in Roz' Garden

Don’t forget that…ever.

In Honor of Mary

This is the season where I often wondered about Mary. This past Sunday, my pastor’s topic covered some of Mary’s challenges. However, I found I was able to relate to her even more looking at it from a woman’s point of view. As a matter of fact, Mary has floated upward on my admiration list because of her unwavering stance to believe even when it meant absolute rejection and possible death.

Her Story
All Jewish girls were told the story of the redemption promise and how one of them would be chosen to bring forth the Messiah. For the gals of that day this was a great deal and an honor. It meant your family would automatically be considered royalty (in the eyes of society). Some of the girls perhaps focused on the prestige and fame it would give them, but others focused on the true meaning of birthing the Messiah. I believe that Mary was the latter.

Mary came from a poor home and was a Jewish maiden in a Roman empire. It is believed that she was in her early teens when the angel appeared to her. She had the daunting task of explaining to Joseph she was pregnant. In those days, sex before marriage was a valid reason to have stones thrown at you, and I’m not talking small pebbles. Imagine the dread this poor girl must have felt knowing the consequences if no one believed her story.

Kudos to Joseph
At first, Joseph did not believe her and was planning to send her away quietly. Most men of those days would have not only dropped her but would have denounced her in public (in a heart beat) and this would’ve been considered justified and right. (This speaks a lot about Joseph’s character and says volumes as to why he was chosen to be the Savior’s earthly dad.) God caught up with Joseph, revealed his plan, and Joseph not only married her, he stood by her when breaking the news to the parents (who probably had a few choice words before believing them) and stood by her side during possible ridicules from relatives or neighbors.

Why Her?

What made God choose Mary from the gazillion other women that lived up to her time? I have to believe it was a number of things. Mary’s heart condition in combination with her belief system was right where it should be. You see she had nothing to boast about, wasn’t in the circle of high society or the priesthood, but she knew the most important thing. She knew God, she knew his word, and she trusted Him.

Mary’s Ingredients

She Knew God
Mary obviously had a relationship with God and she had heard enough of the “promise” which made her desire it wholeheartedly.

She Understood His WordShe understood what that promise would bring. She wasn’t focused on riches or prestige but on the deliverance it would bring her people.

She Trusted Him
You can’t walk in faith unless you trust God. Mary obviously decided to trust God even though she was well aware of the challenges she was going to face in lieu of her condition. Think about it…
She decided to believe an angel (most people would say she’s seeing things).
She put it all on the line with the man she was engaged to by telling him the news.
She had to break that same news to her parents (in those days you might as well have left the country – those of you who had strict Latino upbringing like me understand what I’m saying).
And finally, she had to face the possibility of facing an angry law-abiding mob (that would have stoned her).
That would have made any sane gal shut her mouth and pretend like it never happened.

However in Mary’s case she understood that you can’t receive an awesome revelation unless you’re ready to receive it, and you can’t receive it unless you’re expecting it. You can’t expect it unless you are aware of it, and you can’t be aware of it unless you are making the time to embrace it. (After all revelation comes with relationship, right?)

The Right Mix
Although, Mary was the most unlikely girl to be chosen based on the outside, she was the one who was honored because of what was going on inside. Let me simplify it a little more. God chose a girl from the ghetto, who wasn’t part of the dominant nation or culture of her time, and who was destined to remain where she was at. She couldn’t even study or marry her way out (which is different today). However, because Mary had the right attitude in heart and mind, God honored her like no one else could.

How does that apply for us today?
It doesn’t matter where you’re at as long as you have a Mary’s heart that knows God, understands His word, and trusts Him. It doesn’t matter who in this world has told you that you cannot, as long as you have these ingredients, you can. It doesn’t matter where you live, what education you have, where you have been, which circles you frequent, or how much recognition you’ve raised or haven’t received. All of us are chosen in a unique way, but few of us realize or live our maximum potential.

If Mary had the insight that allowed her to be used as a vessel for something spectacular (Jesus), can you imagine our potential for greatness?

To Mary -- in honor of a young woman whose example showed the world how to be chosen for magnificent things.