Simply Christmas a Five-Day Reading Plan to Reclaim the Peace of the Holidays by Tama FortnerSample

Highly Favored

Scripture: Luke 1:26-38; John 3:16; 1 John 3:1

To the world, Mary was just a poor girl from a poor village. Young, insignificant, and unimportant. So when the angel appeared and declared her to be “highly favored,” I suspect Mary didn’t feel that way at all. In fact, the very next verse tells us that she was “startled” (NCV), “confused” (NLT), and even “greatly troubled” (NIV) by the angel’s greeting.

We don’t have to dig too deep to understand why, do we? Because though many things have changed between Mary’s time and ours, one thing has not—our simultaneous longing and reluctance to feel highly favored. With all its subtle and not-so-subtle competitions and comparisons, Christmas sometimes seems to highlight all our self-perceived shortcomings. It’s so easy to look around at others and feel insignificant, unimportant.

Don’t listen to the doubts. We are—you are, I am—highly favored.

If those words startle, confuse, or trouble, let the angel’s answer to Mary’s fears be the answer to our own: “Don’t be afraid . . . God has shown you his grace” (Luke 1:30, NCV). The “free, spontaneous, absolute favor and loving-kindness” (AMPC) of God’s grace is ours. Not because of what we do or don’t do, but simply because of who we are: His. We don’t need an angel to tell us that. God Himself has told us. The message is there in the manger. We—you and I—are highly favored because the Lord has chosen to be with us.

Lord of lords, teach my heart to believe that I am highly favored by You. Amen.

Reclaiming Christmas

A children’s librarian once told our group of young moms gathered in her story hour—with toddlers in our laps, around our necks, and on our backs—that slice-and-bake cookies don’t count. And I believed her. For years. Why? Because I was trying to live up to everyone else’s expectations of who I should be. Because I wanted to be highly favored. I now know the truth: slice-and-bake cookies count. So do break-aparts, no-bakes, and made from scratch, roll out, and frost cookies. It’s not about the cookies. It’s about time spent together.