If a charmed life is easy, then what do you imagine a highly-favored-of-God life to be? Mary, the mother of Jesus, was highly favored of God. Yet her life was difficult.

God chose Mary to be the mother of His only Son. Gabriel the angel called Mary highly favored of God twice in their brief encounter. “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you”(Luke 1:28).

If an angel called you highly favored, wouldn’t you expect some free “get out of pain” passes? If God picked you to carry His child, wouldn’t you anticipate some special treatment? Surely, He’d assure your fiancé of your faithfulness.

I’m not sure what Mary imagined would happen when she returned from a three-month visit with her cousin to tell Joseph she was pregnant—with God’s Son. But he didn’t buy it. Since their engagement could only be ended by divorce or death, he looked for a way to quietly divorce her.

Mary didn’t live a charmed life. Her fiancé believed she’d cheated on him. She saw Joseph’s pain and had no way to prove her faithfulness.

Since God set the bar on sexual purity, why did He let others believe Mary was sexually immoral? Why did He put this couple through this tension?

Since God set the bar on sexual purity, why did He let others believe Mary was sexually immoral? #HighlyFavored, #RechargeWednesday @DebbieWWilson
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In the nick of time, God sent an angel to stop Joseph from divorcing Mary. But the religious leaders continued to call Jesus illegitimate even in His adult years. God allowed people, including their religious leaders, to believe Joseph and Mary were sexually loose, when they had shown extraordinary restraint. Joseph kept her a virgin until after Jesus’ birth.

I wonder how many Jewish customers and friends Joseph lost in his carpentry business because of this scandal. Wouldn’t you think God would clear the reputation of this highly favored couple?

Conflict may be a sign of God’s favor!

Isaiah 55:8 reminds us God’s ways are not our ways. They are better. God cleared Mary’s reputation with those with whom it mattered. He also used this misunderstanding to benefit Mary, Joseph—and us.

• Mary and Joseph could empathize with those who doubted their story. They didn’t waste energy being offended that others didn’t believe them. After all, it took an angel’s visit for Joseph to understand.
• Joseph modeled how to handle betrayal.
• Mary and Joseph’s faith grew. With each new challenge they remembered God’s faithfulness through previous tests.
• When people believe lies about us, we know we’re in good company. Some of God’s most highly favored saints were misunderstood.

Conflict may be a sign of God's favor! @DebbieWWilson
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Having God’s favor didn’t mean ease for Mary. Instead of having a midwife and a clean bed, Mary delivered God’s Son in a stable. Instead of being escorted by the king’s army, soldiers hunted her boy to murder him. And when Jesus grew up, His scourging and crucifixion pierced her own heart. Definitely not a charmed life!

As we prepare for Christmas, let’s not let the world’s view of how this holiday should look rob us of the true riches we have in Christ. God’s ways are not our ways; they are infinitely better. Despite her trials, Mary learned that no problem is too big for God. She dwells in heaven today with the Father and the Son. If you asked her, she’d say the favor of God surpasses a charmed life.

As we prepare for Christmas, let’s not let the world’s view of how this holiday should look rob us of the true riches we have in Christ. #RechargeWednesday
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#LINKUP Party is open! Does a highly-favored life look easy to you? Think again. Read @DebbieWWilson 's post about what highly-favored of God looks like & share your blog!
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