It only took a moment for God to change the world. Everyone else was busy going about his or her daily routine unaware Mary’s story had just been forever interrupted and life—as the whole world knew it—was about to change.

I imagine the scene this way (bear with me, I have a vivid imagination): Mary’s dad was at work, and her mom may have been out at the market. Her siblings were tending to their own tasks, and her fiancé Joseph was out earning a living. 

God watched from heaven that afternoon, as the stage He had been designing ever since the world began was finally set to His liking. He probably gave a slight nod as He turned to the angel Gabriel.

“Now,” He said softly. “But wait,” He added as Gabriel turned back to face Him. “Don’t scare her; she will do just as you ask. So be gentle.”

Gabriel nodded, as He looked glory in the face one last time before he set out to alter eternity. Mary had no idea a miracle was on the way—and she most certainly had no idea it was on its way to her womb.  

The Gospels tell us Mary was one who was favored and blessed. My first response was to grab a synonym finder to see just what that meant.  To be favored means: to be preferred, chosen, privileged, the favorite, affluent, elite and noble. To be blessed means: to be exalted, happy, glad, pleased and contented.  

Although those definitions seemed to fit perfectly with what Luke was saying, a few moments of rummaging through Mary’s past is enough to show most people did not see her that way. Mary was just a small town girl. Not only that, she was a poor girl from a despised small town. 

Mary was a nobody, yet she found favor and blessing with God. How many times do we look in the mirror and find a nobody staring back at us? We often limit what God can do with our lives, because we think our upbringing, our appearance, or our life is not a sufficient tool for the hands of God to use for His glory. 

If Mary really was a nobody, all it took for God to make her somebody was one miracle on a lonely day when she was just going about her daily business. God’s formula for success isn’t found in some stuffy rule book, His chosen are not normally found in palaces (although sometimes He chooses to take them there like He did Esther and David), and His favored are often those who have nothing to offer but one small life—the type of life nobody notices until God steps on the scene.

Yes, God called a girl once before and He will most certainly do it again.

Years later God is still trying to get the world’s attention. And so it is at you He looks with favor and blessing. He sees what you do not see—you are in the line of Mary. So as the world is passing you by without even a glance, God is setting the stage. 

“This girl is something,” He says to the angels in His company. “She is a real gem.” 

Jesus smiles and pauses, “She reminds me of My mother.”

Acts 17:26 says God appointed the very time and place each of us should live. As He mapped out the timeline for all of mankind, He penciled you in here and now for a reason. You have a divine purpose. God’s signature is on your life, and beneath it heaven can read the words, “favored and blessed.”

Before you rush to the mirror to see if I am telling the truth, let me warn you—most of the time human eyes see things differently than God does. Heavenly handwriting is not usually read on earthly ground, but it is God’s identifying mark on those whom He has chosen. He sees it, He knows it is there and He knows for what purpose it was written on your life. And as God was with Mary, so He will be with you. 

Excerpt taken from God Called a Girl. To purchase a copy click here.