I'm What?

Have you ever stopped to think about the enormity of Mary's pregnancy? Of how brave she was to accept God's call?

Being pregnant out of wedlock is bad enough for most cultures nowadays. But back then you could be disowned by your family and I mean never-see-the-family-again-ever disowned. Not to mention the village kicking you out for giving them a bad name.

Think about it . . . imagine you're a teenager.  You love finding quiet places to talk to God alone, but you rarely get a chance because you're helping with your siblings. You're up at night to fill the oil in the lamp. Then, rise early in the morning to start the whole process of making bread and drawing the water. So you sing psalms as you work and pray as you go.

All your efforts going to prepare yourself to be the best wife and, someday, mother that you can be. You think you've pleased your father in your efforts because he's arranged a marriage for you with one of the most righteous men in town. So, you feel blessed. . . things are going as planned.

Then one day, life comes tumbling in on you. An angel appears. Tells you you are going to have a baby. And not just any baby. The baby that so many women around the country have been feigning. You're going to give birth to the Messiah. The Messiah. The Savior of your people.

Who wouldn't want this? Even it means all your plans for the future have just been shot out the window? But who would believe a young girl from the backwaters part of the country would be chosen by God Most High for such a feat? And what will the others think? It doesn't say how long it took Mary to answer the angel, but she does the bravest thing of all. She accepts God's calling on her life.

Mary took the chance that God knew what he was doing. That he would provide for her even if it looked like her world could quickly fall down around her and everything she knew would be gone. She still said yes. That's brave.