it's easy to think that Mary, the mother of God, had it easy. When the angel appeared to her and asked her to be the mother of the lord, it's easy to think, "Who would say no?" But she could have. We all have free will and Mary is no exception. Saying yes could have actually cost her a great deal. The punishment for sex outside of marriage was death, and who would believe her that the baby was conceived without it? At the very least, Joseph could have refused to marry her (and he did think about doing just this), and deeply shamed both her and her family. Everyone would know, and Mary's life, even if she had been allowed to live, would have been incredibly difficult.
But she didn't refuse. She had almost every reason in the world to do so, but she didn't. She knew it was a call from God, and she answered it affirmatively. What great things have we missed because got scared when we heard the call of God and said no? What things have we talked ourselves out of?
