Luke 1:30-33 "But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end."
Can you imagine what Mary must have felt like in that moment? She's about 13 years at the onset of puberty filled with thoughts about what to make of having a period, desiring to kiss the boy taking care of the goats for her family, and what to do about that pimple on her nose! She's just existing childhood heading into one of life's toughest transitions; adolescence, AND now an Angel tells her that she is going to have a baby! Whoa! It's fun to think about what it would have been like to be in Mary's mind during that moment. I think maybe we would have heard something like this:
Am I seeing things? Am I dreaming? Is that really an angel speaking to me? Keep breathing Mary. An angel is telling me that I am going to have... a baby. I'm trying to get used to new body parts and having to deal with new body functions and now I am going to be pregnant? How can this be since I'm a virgin? The Son of the Most High. What does that mean? Me, Mary I am going to give birth to God's son who will reign over the house of Jacob? What will my friends think?
For Mary, this would be the beginning of one of the most life changing transitions of her life. The transition from adolescence to motherhood, from single to married, from poor to rich in Christ, from Mary to the virgin Mary, common to extradordinary and this all by the hand and heart of God.
I'm sure this transition wasn't easy. There's a lot missing in our account of the 9 months Mary carried Jesus in her womb. We don't know what people said as she grew round with child. We don't know how her friendships changed or what her parents prayed for her during those months. What I love about this piece of Scripture is the way it captures the reality of how life's transitions surprise us. We must remember God designed change. Everyday we change through the circumstances we experience, through the number of days we lives.
Mary is a great example for us as we face the transitions of life. "I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered. "May it be to me as you have said."
May we face the transitions of each season of life with this prayer in our hearts... Lord, I am your servant, may it be to me as you wish during this season. As I struggle through accepting and adjusting to the decisions I will have to make and the circumstance I will face help me to remember that through this time you will mold me more into your likeness. Your ways are not my ways, help me to see the beauty of your Sovreign control over my life. Amen.
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