The Virgin

I have been in the field of medicine for many years. Prior to becoming a preacher, so was my husband. I will never forget the story he tells about the baby he delivered in the emergency room. The mother was 14 years old. She came in with severe abdominal pain. It did not take long for the staff to figure out  the diagnosis. She denied it. Claimed she was a virgin. She had never been with anyone. 
The staff shared with her that there had only been one woman in all history, and her name was Mary, that delivered a baby as a virgin.
And they were right. 

Very pure in heart.
Immanuel's momma.
Readily gave of her entire self, selflessly to be used by God for His purpose.
Gave birth to a child, whom she would watch die, to save her soul.
Indescribable joy was hers from being a humble servant.
No word from God will ever fail, is what she chose to believe. 

Matthew 1:22 
²² All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: ²³ “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).

Luke 1:38-26
 ²⁶ In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, ²⁷ to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. ²⁸ The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”  ²⁹ Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. ³⁰ But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. ³¹ You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. ³² He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, ³³ and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”

 ³⁴ “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”
 ³⁵ The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. ³⁶ Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. ³⁷ For no word from God will ever fail.”
 ³⁸ “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.

A frightened, God loving, young woman changed her entire life, and the history of the world with twelve words.
“I am the Lord’s servant, may your word to me be fulfilled.”

I will ponder in my heart today, what would be different if I chose to live and believe those words for myself as Mary chose to do. Would my life, my family and the world around me be changed? I must believe that it would.

Chasing After Hearts,

Glenda Johnson