Mary was young, betrothed but not yet married, and pregnant under circumstances almost no one around her could possibly understand.
Think about what she faced: whispers, shame, judgment, the possibility of losing Joseph, uncertainty about her future, and very real consequences within the society in which she lived: including, under the law concerning sexual unfaithfulness during betrothal, the possibility of death by stoning.
From a purely human perspective, imagine being told there was an easy way to make all of those problems disappear.
But Mary said:
“Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” — Luke 1:38
She couldn't see everything ahead of her. She simply trusted God.
And we know the potential of the life she carried.
Jesus Christ changed the world.
But that raises a question that has been weighing on me:
What was the potential of all the lives that never had the opportunity to live theirs?
Was there a doctor who would have discovered a cure?
A scientist who would have made a breakthrough?
A pastor who would have led thousands to Christ?
A teacher who would have changed the direction of a struggling child's life?
A farmer who would have fed generations?
A mother or father whose children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren would have blessed the world in ways we cannot imagine?
Or perhaps simply someone who would have lived an ordinary life, loved their family, helped their neighbor, and made their little corner of this world better.
We'll never know.
And maybe that's the tragedy we don't talk about enough.
When we look at an unborn child, we can see the circumstances surrounding the pregnancy. We can see the difficulty, fear, finances, timing, medical conditions, and uncertainty.
I am not naive. I understand there are circumstances that people consider valid reasons to end a pregnancy. Some situations are heartbreaking, frightening, and unimaginably difficult.
But I serve a God who is bigger than any circumstance, diagnosis, disability, or birth defect.
At some point, faith asks a difficult question:
Do I truly trust God when the road ahead is one I would never have chosen?
Because what we cannot see is the future contained within that life.
Mary couldn't see Bethlehem, the miracles, the disciples, Calvary, or the empty tomb when she said yes.
She simply trusted that the life God had placed within her had a purpose.
Maybe we should look at every unborn life with that same sense of wonder:
Who might this child become?
And perhaps just as importantly:
What might this child's life inspire in someone else?
Maybe greatness isn't always what a person accomplishes. Maybe sometimes it's the love they awaken, the compassion they teach, the family they create, the faith they strengthen, or the lives they change simply by being here.
We cannot know the potential of a life before it has been lived.
Choose life. Support the mother. Protect the child. And never underestimate what God can do with one life.
#ChooseLife #EveryLifeHasValue #FaithOverFear #TrustGod #ChristianFaith #ThePasturePulpit