“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May it be to me as you have said.” Then the angel left her. (Luke 1:38)
Have you noticed that hard times really test your faith? This certainly holds true for marriage and family life. Spiritually speaking, tough times offer opportunities to grow in faith. While our natural tendency is to dread these kinds of situations, the Bible offers many examples of people who faced their circumstances with great courage.
Consider Mary, the mother of Jesus. As a young teenager, an angel told her that she would be the mother of the Messiah. Sounds great, doesn’t it? But try to imagine this situation. She would become pregnant, but not by Joseph. What’s her fiancé, Joseph, going to think? And even if Joseph could handle this, what are neighbors and others around her to think? Sex before marriage was strictly forbidden by Jewish law.
An immaculate conception. How do you explain that to the people around you? It had never happened before. Who would actually believe that? Get the picture?
If you are experiencing hard times in your marriage or family, don’t give up. Trust God. He will not let you down.
