By Micheal Hurlbert
Sunday, May 9, 2021
This Mother’s Day we can remember all the mothers, stepmothers, and grandmothers that have blessed our lives. Take a moment and consider how these women have shaped you and given of themselves for your sake.
We are fortunate to have someone to call mom, and we have so much we can learn from them. We can also learn a lot from looking at Jesus’s mother as well. We see her story in Luke 1:26-38.
When God was looking for a mother for his son, he picked Mary. She had a quality about her that made her stand out from among other women. The text says that she was highly favored.
We may wonder what it was that gave her this high status. However, when we examine what the Bible says about her, we find that she is blessed because she believed the Lord will fulfill his promise (Luke 1:45). God asked an extreme thing out of Mary, and she responded in faith. She believed what God had said about her, didn’t allow fear to keep her from obedience, and showed true submission.
It would have been easy for Mary to allow her world to define her, yet she saw herself through God’s eyes. She was from an ordinary town of Nazareth in Galilee. The common perception of the town was that nothing good could come from Nazareth. She could have believed that of herself.
In addition, Mary lived under ordinary circumstances. She was too young, pledged to be married, and had her life planned out before her. She could have accepted that fixed plan for life and allowed it to define her. But the angel appeared and said she was “highly favored.”
Mary looked beyond her ordinary circumstances and in faith claimed God’s view of her identity. She is blessed because she believed. In the same way, we are blessed when we see ourselves through God’s eyes.
When the angel appeared to Mary, she was terrified, yet she put her faith over her fear. We understand the terror that would come at the appearance of an angel. Still, Mary had more to fear then than the miraculous appearance. To accept God’s call could mean shame within her family and in her community. Obedience could bring an end to her marital plans and, in some communities, cost her life.
A life of faithfulness is not a life free of fear; there will be trials. However, when we are living according to his plans, we can cast our anxieties on God. Mary is an example of a person who looked past fear and was obedient. She could do this because she believed the Lord would do what he promised.
The most beautiful part of Mary’s story is her response to the message. She simply replied, “I am the Lord’s servant” (Luke 1:38). In this, she did not allow herself to get into the way of God’s plan. We see that submission to the Lord’s will is evidence of genuine faith.
This attitude rubbed off on her son. He showed the same character when he prayed, “not my will but yours be done” (Luke 22:42). This is an outlook that God favors, and we learn to display it when following godly examples such as Mary.
When we read her story, it becomes obvious why God chose Mary to be the mother of Jesus. She displayed genuine faith and surrendered to the Lord's will. It made her a fantastic mom and a great role model for mothers today.
Micheal Hurlbert is pastor at First Christian Church.
