Mary was very young when the Angel Gabriel appeared to her. She was engaged to mary Joseph - a carpenter. She was around 14 - 16 years old when she gave birth to Jesus. Mary was little regarded in society, but she was "highly favored by God" as it is stated in the Book of Luke:
In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, 'Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.'
Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, 'Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favour 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 will 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.'
'How will this be,' Mary asked the angel, 'since I am a virgin?'
The angel answered, 'The Holy Spirit will come upon 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. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. For nothing is impossible with God.'
'I am the Lord's servant,' Mary answered. 'May it be to me as you have said.' Then the angel left her.
Luke 1:26-38
I have always found Mary's story to be extremely fascinating and beautiful. It is an amazing story about our Creater; therefore, Mary is a woman to be admired because she was Jesus' Mother. After reading this book, I have found that as a woman and mother, I can look to her for advice in raising my own children - one of them is strong willed. Although we are in a different era than Mary lived, we can relate to her. She might have not faced the same issues or struggles that we face today, but she was a mother just as we are. She might have had sleepless nights. She must have woken up in the middle of the night to check on Baby Jesus. She must have been so worried when they couldn't find 12 year old Jesus - then she found him still in Jerusalem at the temple (Luke 2:41-52). She faced anxiety at that moment. Then Jesus said: "Why did you search for me. Didn't you know I was in my Father's House?" He was in God's hands. He took care of him. That itself is a reminder for us mothers, to to fear and know that God takes care of our children. Mary was special. She gave birth to Jesus - that was special. God choose Mary for a special reason, and there is a special reason we were chosen to give birth to our babies.
The author writes a series of stories to Mary. She shares many example about the challenges that Mary faced. As mothers we are NATURAL GIVERS, and sometimes we forget to take care of ourselves. Jakes reminds us to take care of ourselves, because we give a lot. She also reminds us to trust God just as Mary did from the very beginning. I can just picture Mary guiding Jesus, and sharing her faith in God with the ALMIGHTY. I can also see how special their bond was - imagine Jesus' over flowing annointance upon His mother!
*** Discloser: Bethany House Publisher sent me this book free of charge for this review. Thank you, Bethany House.
