“I don’t understand.”
Ever said this to God? I have. Several times. And so did Mary, the final woman of our study. When Gabriel told this teenager she would become a mother without a sperm donor, she responded, “How can this be?”
Would we expect her to understand? After all, “virgin birth” is an oxymoron – two words that don’t go together. And quite frankly, it’s scientifically impossible.
While we as women are not asked to give birth to the Messiah, sometimes what our lives ask of us–what God asks of us–seems impossible too. Whether it’s trusting in God’s provision when there’s too much month at the end of the money, loving a cranky co-worker, or forgiving an ex-husband, God calls us on impossible paths. We find ourselves empty, tired, or simply at a loss for what to do next.
Or perhaps your life is not turning out the way you expected. Instead of a carload of children, you have a stack of bills from multiple fertility treatments. A chronic illness takes away your independence. Maybe you find yourself moving jobs and cities to start afresh at 50.
Mary would understand how you feel. God took her ordinary life and made it quite complicated. Hers was the most unique of unplanned pregnancies. Even if she believed God could handle the virgin birth part, how was a mere girl supposed to parent the Promised One?
Pay attention to how Gabriel responded to her question. After he gave her the miraculous version of the birds and the bees talk, he ended it with: “Nothing will be impossible with God.”
Nothing. God can do ANYTHING. He created life in Mary’s womb without a man. And He can create impossible things in our lives too–not just the things we ask for like babies, jobs, spouses, friends, and health. He can also give us strength, companionship, and acceptance when our lives don’t match our plans.
Mary, overwhelmed as she was by Gabriel’s crazy interruption, believed His impossible words and not because she trusted in her checking account or her babysitting skills. She trusted the character of her God. When we study her song next week, we will see she was very familiar with His faithfulness, power, and goodness.
I’m most impressed, though, with how she accepted the 180-degree turn God put in her path. She responded in humility. She saw herself as God’s maidservant, not a slave to her own dreams and her own expectations of what her life should have been. She bowed. That is the real miracle I need in the midst of my impossible places, my messy places. Thankfully, like the archangel said, Nothing is impossible with God.
Your messy friend,
