From Mary To Mom, Lessons in Motherhood

Don't sell this point short. It may seem easy to have such faith but let's look at the father of John the Baptist and the angelic visitation he experienced:

But the angel said, "Don't be afraid, Zechariah! God has heard your prayer. Your wife, Elizabeth, will give you a son, and you are to name him John. You will have great joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great in the eyes of the Lord. He must never touch wine or other alcoholic drinks. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even before his birth. And he will turn many Israelites to the Lord their God. He will be a man with the spirit and power of Elijah. He will prepare the people for the coming of the Lord. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and he will cause those who are rebellious to accept the wisdom of the godly." Luke 1: 13-17 (NLT)

Given the advanced age of both Zechariah and his wife, this message must have seemed as impossible as the one Mary received. But note the difference in his response:

Zechariah said to the angel, "How can I be sure this will happen? I'm an old man now, and my wife is also well along in years." Luke 1: 18 (NLT)

How can I be sure? God sends an angel to give him this news and the doubt that he had was still stronger. How can I be sure? Mary did not ask for any such assurances. Mary had faith that if God spoke it, He will bring it to pass. Zechariah would have to learn the hard way:

Then the angel said, "I am Gabriel! I stand in the very presence of God. It was he who sent me to bring you this good news! But now, since you didn't believe what I said, you will be silent and unable to speak until the child is born. For my words will certainly be fulfilled at the proper time." Luke 1: 19-20 (NLT)

Interesting that God struck silent the doubting tongue that Zechariah suffered from. Our faith sometimes is more tested by the words we allow to speak into our lives than anything else. God has spoken words into all of our lives. We have His Word directly through the Bible yet we too can stand as Zechariah did before us and ask God, how can I be sure? The devil starts whispering into our ear and instead of dismissing his lies with the truth of God's Word; we can speak doubt an uncertainty into our situations. But not Mary! Mary was faithful above everything else.

Mary was also strong beyond measure. We see this strength early on in her life. At 14 years she gives birth. Almost immediately, she is forced to flee to Egypt to avoid the oncoming persecution from Herod. Infuriated by the wise men, Herod orders all children in Bethlehem and the region under the age of two, to be killed. He is trying to kill the Messiah while still an infant. Mary must escape to a foreign country, still a young teenager, with her newborn and husband. She would stay there until Herod died. Early on we see the inner strength possessed by Mary. We do not see much of her in the Gospels during the growth of Jesus. But her strength is once more on display as Christ is being crucified. After the arrest of Jesus all of His followers scattered. They ran away. They began to hide. The shepherd was struck and the sheep scattered. Many would hide for days. Peter who had been through so much with Jesus for three years even denied knowing Him at all when questioned. He denied Him even though Jesus specifically warned him that he would deny him! Yet in the midst of all of this uncertainty, not everyone abandoned Jesus at His darkest hour:

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