Christmas is a beautiful time of year to reflect and meditate on all God’s goodness. When we think of Christmas, images of the manger, the shepherds, Mary, and Joseph in awe over Jesus’s birth are vivid in our minds. But let’s backtrack a little bit before the Virgin Mary gave birth, before the miracle that changed the world, there was an ordinary girl whose faith opened the pathway for God to provide her with an extraordinary purpose.  

^“In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth,to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!”But she was greatly troubled at the saying and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. And 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 call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin? “And the angel answered her, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore, the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God. And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.” And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servantof the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her. (Luke 1:26-38)

I spent careful time praying over the direction of this devotion because the scripture here is so rich. What kept tugging at my heart is that God wants to save us, He wants to help us, He provides a way, He cares about the details, He allows us to participate in His plan, and He deeply cares about what we carry in our hearts and into the world around us. Mary’s actions and response to the angel give a glimpse of her character and reveal that she knew who and whose she belonged to. She truly believed that “Nothing was impossible with God.” (Luke 1:37)

Mary’s faith was the pathway God used for her purpose, and our faith is the pathway God uses for ours. The fact that Mary was an ordinary girl is encouraging for us! Mary was a young girl from Nazareth, a place that wasn’t impressive. We see in scripture that Mary had no status, she wasn’t perfect, and her questions reveal that she didn’t have everything figured out. Yet, God chose her…Why? Not because of her perfection. Not because she had everything figured out. Could it be that God chose Mary because of what was inside her:

• She was humble- She thought higher of God, others, and yielded to his plan.
• She was pure- “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign, The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14). Immanuel is God with us.
• She was obedient-She was willing and submissive to God’s authority.
• She would fulfill prophecy about where Jesus would be born, where he would come from, and be born of a virgin but be the son of God. What this tells us is that God is in the details. You are who you should be. You are born in this generation. You are not a mistake; your unique qualities were planned with purpose.
• Mary thought about God and treasured in her heart the things he revealed to her.
• She was courageous and said yes. “I am the Lord’s servant,” (Luke 1:38)

God saw Mary’s heart of faith, and He made her extraordinary because she said yes to his invitation. And He does the same with us! The scriptures depict Mary facing fear, but she chose to have faith. When the angel appeared, Scripture says, “Mary was troubled, confused, and afraid.” Yet, I love her response. She asked questions and was “discerning.” God never said, “Do not feel fear.” He said, “Do not be afraid.”  We all experience fear. I tend to freak out sometimes because it’s a very human feeling, but as I grow in the Lord, I am learning to do many things afraid. My experience with fear has taught me that “Fear will try to control what faith is meant to guide.” Fear is a feeling, and faith is a decisionwe must make. Mary teaches us that in the face of fear, we too can be responsive people instead of reactive. Mary’s response to fear… “I am the Lord’s servant. May it be to me according to Your word” (Luke 1:38). Mary’s faith over fear gave her a heart posture ready to be used by God. When fear tries to derail us, faith will prepare us.

I believe Mary’s faith prepared her for purpose, and she didn’t just obey; she believed the word of God. In Luke 1:45, Elizabeth, her relative, said to her: “You are blessed because you believed that the Lord would do what He said.” We see in scripture that, after Mary visited Elizabeth, her faith was strong. Mary treasured God’s words. She pondered them. She worshiped instead of worrying. She sought wise counsel. She rooted herself in God. She wasn’t perfect, but her faith prepared her. “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my savior, for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name” (Luke 1:46). Faith is what fortifies us for purpose. Faith is what shapes our identity. Faith is what carries Jesus into the next generation. Mary was prepared by faith, and we can be too! Friends, your purpose is not random, and every part of our story is not wasted. It is not too late to turn your heart to Jesus, the one who saves!!! I was a neglected, abused, abandoned little girl. I came from nothing; I didn’t know God. But he knew me, and God reached down and saved me for a purpose. And now I’m raising children who know the Lord. They’ve seen me wrestling, watched me make mistakes, and grow. Even so, they believe in God, and He is preparing them to carry Jesus into the world too.

Jesus ‘birth is an important part of our redemption story. He lived a sinless life, died a terrible death on the cross in place of us and for us. Three days later, He rose again, conquering death, and tore down any separation from him. He saved us, and he is our savior! “For God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

Mary had the favor of God, chosen to carry Jesus into the world. She was a virgin carrying the Son of God in her womb, then in her arms, and then lived a life of servanthood with him in her heart. “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you” (Luke 1:28). Mary had the favor of God, but favor is not status; favor is servanthood. We often think favor means ease, comfort, or applause. Yet even though Mary had favor, she faced challenges. She didn’t gain status, she needed a savior too! Mary would risk her reputation and face misunderstanding. She walked through uncertainty and trusting God with the impossible. She carried the Savior in her womb even though she herself needed a savior too. We learn from Mary that favor is to surrender, favor is not a status- it is a calling to serve.

Jesus Himself said, “My nourishment comes from doing the will of God” (John 4:34). Before Jesus went to the cross, he taught his disciples to serve; he washed their feet and told them to do the same. (John 13:1-17) Jesus also said, “For even the son of man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as ransom for many” (Mark 10:45).

Lastly, Mary needed a savior, too! Mary didn’t have the full picture. She didn’t know how it would all work out. But she said yes anyway. God’s plans are woven through ordinary lives and ordinary moments. And what God looks at most is not our ability, but the posture of our hearts.

• What we believe about God shapes how we live.
• What we carry inside will come out in times of need.
• What we treasure in our hearts becomes the foundation of our purpose.
• What we say “yes” to determines what God can birth through us.

Just like Mary, your yes matters, your obedience matters, and because she said yes, the Savior of the world was born, and she got to be a part of that plan. As we enter Christmas, this season let’s remember, like Mary, we too can participate in God’s plan. Our faith in God is our pathway to purpose. It’s all about Jesus and what he did for us.

Dear God,

Please illuminate your truth today and draw every heart toward you. Like Mary, help us to treasure your word in our hearts. Give us courage in the face of fear, and humility to say yes, even if we don’t see the full picture. Teach us that to have the favor of the Lord is not status, but servanthood! May our faith also give us a pathway to purpose and power to carry Jesus to this generation. In Jesus’ Name, Amen!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!