At least not for a long time. She has a lot of living to do first. And a wedding to plan, sometime in the future, when her fiancé has saved enough money to support them.
Yet here she is—unwed, uneducated, and underage. And pregnant. Her parents are religious, and her fiancé is several years older than she.
When Mary realized she was pregnant, a thousand questions filled her mind. How will I tell my parents? What will people say? How will I provide for this baby? Will my boyfriend leave me?
Her Cinderella wedding plans vanished and the crushing prospects of life as a single mother squeezed the breath from her chest. How could this have happened, she wondered. We were so careful to conduct ourselves honorably.
Ripples from an unplanned teen pregnancy cast a wide circle. Unlike a speeding ticket, poor grades, or a curfew infraction, the impact of an unplanned pregnancy alters not just the life of a teen, but the lives of her parents, her boyfriend, her boyfriend’s parents, other family members and siblings, and friends. An unexpected pregnancy rewrites a young woman’s future—and the futures of those around her.
Most of us know someone like Mary. Some encourage these young women to get abortions.
“You can get on with your life.”
“You won’t have to put your plans on hold.”
“You can finish school, get married, and THEN have a baby.”
They fail to consider (or perhaps they ignore) the moral implications of their advice. And they seldom acknowledge that perhaps God has a plan for this “unwanted” baby. That, even in circumstances less than ideal, God is knitting this baby together in his mother’s womb for a purpose. That maybe, just maybe, this pregnancy isn’t unplanned at all. Perhaps, although the circumstances leading up to the pregnancy are less than ideal, God can still redeem them.
Which brings us to a profound and almost scandalous question: What if Mary had aborted Jesus?
If she lived today, well-meaning friends might have encouraged her to do so. And she might have considered it.
It would have been, at least at first glance, an easy way out. A way to preserve her name. A way to spare her parents shame. A way to protect her future plans.
But Mary, like so many courageous young women, did the right thing. She preserved her child's life and trusted God with her future.
And her baby changed the world.
If you’re pregnant, or you know someone who is, we know you’re not carrying the Savior of the world. But you might be carrying the scientist who discovers the cure for cancer. Or the engineer who develops the next world-changing invention. Or the pastor who leads thousands to Christ. Or the schoolteacher who lifts underprivileged children out of their hopelessness. Or the mother who trains her kids to love Jesus. Or the baby who will bring joy to everyone she meets.
More than 2,000 years ago, a teenage girl was surprised by an out-of-wedlock pregnancy—a pregnancy that changed her life forever. But it not only changed her life, it affected the lives of every human being on the planet.
"’The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel’—which means, ‘God with us’” (Mat. 1:22).
If you’d like to hear the real-time story of Josiah, another life-changing baby boy, I’d love to share this short video with you from one of my favorite ministries, Daybreak Crisis Pregnancy center. When you look into Josiah’s shiny brown eyes, I think you’ll agree—a baby changes everything.
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| I love the newly-designed, glossy cover! |
I suspect there are quite a few busy women on your Christmas list. Friends, co-workers, fellow church members, and your children's teachers, coaches, and babysitters, just to name a few. If you'd like to give them a gift that will draw them closer to the Lord, encourage them to spend time in God's Word, and think biblically, Hungry for God ... Starving for Time, Five-Minute Devotions for Busy Women is the gift you're looking for.
And what about those special women in your life that may not have a relationship with the Lord? In the last devotion in the book, I share what it means to have a relationship with Jesus Christ. Giving someone you care about a copy of HFG is not just passing along spiritual encouragement, it's a gentle, winsome way to share the gospel.
Hungry for God . . . Starving for Time is available through Amazon.com,BarnesandNoble.com, and Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas.
If you live in the Columbia, South Carolina area, I'd love to autograph and personalize copies for your special friends. Email me at LoriAHatcher@gmail.com.
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