"Uncommon Women" part 3 ~ final thoughts

Final Highlights from "Uncommon Women" ~

So just how does a woman draw upon an uncommon courage in uncommon days?
I believe the answer lies in having an UNCOMMON FAITH.

By uncommon faith, I do not mean to suggest a faith that is attained through some kind of super spiritual manuevers. I simply mean a faith that endures and even develops in the face of.
In the face of desperate circumstances and in the face of disappointing and, perhaps even, dreadful outcomes.  

Our faith in God is not a tool for manipulating the outcome we desire. Our faith in God is the vehicle by which we arrive at an unshakeable trust that, regardless of the outcome, God IS working ALL things together for our good.

Mary was a woman of uncommon faith. She carried in her womb a literal promise of God. Mary's body housed and birthed Christ, the Son of the Living God.
When Gabriel delivered his stunning news to Mary, he shouted, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you."

And Mary responded, "I am the Lord's servant. May it be to me as you have said."
Above all other mothers, Mary knew without doubt that God had a plan for her son's life. I wonder if, over the course of thirty years, Mary thought as did many others if the Kingdom Jesus came to establish was to be an earthly one.  
I imagine her heart swelling with joy as He performs miracle after miracle.
I imagine her sorrow when she hears of His arrest in the Garden of Gethsamane.
I imagine her state of shock as she maintains her vigil at the foot of His cross.

Bleeding, battered and bound by nails, Jesus speaks to His mother, "Here is your son."
And he nods toward the man near her.
"Here is your mother."

I wonder if in that moment Mary's own words thirty three years earlier pricked her heart ~ "I am the Lord's servant. May it be to me as you have said."
Is this God's plan for her son's life?
I imagine every fiber of Mary's being wanting to scream out, "You are my son. I want you. I want you back."
And in Mary's hours of grief, I imagine that scene between mother and son replaying in her restless mind.
After all, even though Mary had carried the Divine, she was just a woman.
But she was an uncommon woman, living in uncommon times, possessing uncommon courage with uncommon faith.

How can this be?

I believe it is because Mary had something in common with us ~ an UNCOMMON SAVIOR.

Are you in an uncommon time in your life?
Do you need uncommon courage?
Do you need uncommon faith?

Allow me to lead you in prayer.

Dear Abba,
You are the only One who knows what will come tomorrow. You are the only One who knows if the next bend in our road will bring us to uncommon times. As we run our race and persevere in the faith, may we dig deep in You and discover an uncommon courage. May we have a faith that endures--the kind of uncommon faith that's based on fully trusting You with the outcomes in our lives.
May we be uncommon women on the "good days" and on the "not so good days."
And as we approach this season in which we celebrate the miracle of Christ's birth, may our lives become less about us and more about Jesus ~ our UNCOMMON SAVIOR.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen.