The figure of Mary the mother of Jesus, is right at the centre of the Christmas story, and she is hailed as a holy and separate person, above and different from ordinary types, such as you or I. However, if we consider her situation and what she had to face as a young teenage girl, we begin to see things we hadn’t previously noticed.

She must have suffered considerably at the hands of gossips and back-biters, as she coped with the noticeable bump of the developing baby, and no husband. Left out and rejected, she had to prepare for the arrival of her child, knowing that Joseph, her fiancé, would probably set her aside.

God assured her, through the angel, that he was in complete control, and that the baby was no ordinary child, but his own beloved Son, Creator of the universes.

Mary believed. She did not complain, worry, fret or seek the refuge of popular people. She patiently and faithfully, carried out her time, knowing that the person she was carrying, was the Saviour of the world, and her Saviour also.

Joseph also believed the angel who spoke to him from God. He took Mary and kept her safe and comforted her, taking her through the long journey to Bethlehem.

Mary rejoiced to be so highly thought of by God and we can read her song of praise in Luke chapter one. She put all her trust and hope in God and knew that He would deal with her sinfulness and make her what she was not – a good woman.

Mary knew that her son would some day be cruelly killed, for the sins of the world and her own sins. This baby was her Lord and God who would one day rule all things. Mary’s God is also our God, and we need to trust him and follow him, as Mary did. The humility of obedience is the mark of every person who loves Him and walks with him in faith.