Advent Guide: You BelongSample

Blessed Among Families: God's Love and Favor on Display

Have you ever felt like no one understood what you were going through?

In Luke 1, Elizabeth and her husband Zechariah had previously prayed to have a child, but Elizabeth was past natural child-bearing age.

On an ordinary day with no warning, Zechariah was visited by the angel Gabriel and told they would bear a son. Because he didn't believe Gabriel's message, he lost his ability to speak until the child was born. It was a miraculous blessing when Elizabeth conceived, yet she couldn't have a normal conversation with her husband. She may have felt there was no one she could talk to.

Mary was a young woman who was also visited by Gabriel. She was told, "she was favored by God," and would soon conceive and give birth to a son, who would be called the Son of God, and yet her journey would not be easy.

Both Mary and Elizabeth are described as favored by God. God knew before the creation of the world that Mary and Elizabeth would need each other, and he connected them as family. He orchestrated the timing so they could walk together through miraculous pregnancies, each bearing a son who would usher in God's divine plans.

What joy and comfort Mary and Elizabeth must've brought to each other! God provided what was needed every step of the way.

He does the same for us, whether the family connection is biological or not, and whether the circumstances are conventional or not. He sent his Son to invite us into his family and has given us the gift of family on Earth.

Candace Gray is the senior director for Buckner Family Hope Center® programs. She is blessed to be part of a large family that includes her mother, siblings, nieces and nephews, her Concord Church family, and a supportive circle of longtime friends.