Everyone has heard it – the story of the birth of Jesus. The archangel, Gabriel, came down from heaven to deliver a message from God to a young girl. That girl was Mary and the message was that she was going to give birth to the Son of God, miraculously, as a virgin, and that she was to call him Jesus. At the time, Mary was engaged, or betrothed as they called it then, to Joseph, a much older man. Instead of running and hiding from the archangel and avoiding her fate and denying the message, Mary took heed in the message and obediently gave birth to the Son of God.
Pretty boring stuff, you hear about it over and over in church, especially around Christmas, heck, even little kids know the story of Mary and her birth to Jesus. But what they don’t tell you in church, and what they don’t teach the little kids, is that Mary is a role model. Mary, the mother of God, is someone all girls can look up to.
Being Catholic, I learned about the importance of Mary and her role in Jesus’s life at a very young age. Many non-Catholics believe that Catholics overdo the Mary thing and some would even go as far to say that Catholics idol this normal, woman with statues and icons. Though I’m a little biased, I can certainty tell you that she is not idolised. Though some Catholics may go too far, the official stance of the church is not to idol her, but to recognize her for the big sacrifice she made at such a young age.
Mary’s bravery and sacrifice to God shows women everywhere that know task is too big. Nothing God tells us to do will be too much than we can handle. Mary shows girls to not let their personal feelings get in the way of God’s will. If you ask me, I’d say that other religions under-value Mary, a sacrifice so selfless deserves recognition. Mary is the prime example of what obedience to God looks like. Mary is a true version of a nothing girl, becoming arguable thee most important person in the Bible, the most important person in Jesus’s life. Without her, there would be no Jesus, and there would be no forgiveness. Not only did Mary bring Jesus into this world, but also, she didn’t fight God’s will. She didn’t tell him “no,” and she didn’t get mad. She went above and beyond and journeyed far and wide on a donkey to deliver Him. Every young lady desires to be a godly woman, a god-fearing obedient woman, but they forget that Mary was the original godly woman, she IS the original godly woman and she knows what it means to be a mom and to be obedient and god-fearing. Compared to Mary’s burden, all our burdens seem so small and insignificant. Mary knows how to handle the unexpected with grace and faith and in turn, she holds a special place in many Christian’s hearts. Mary, is truly a godly woman, that all young ladies should long to be.