Matthew 1:24-25
Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife: And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS.

What kind of people is God willing to use? Surely He wouldn’t take lightly the choice of earthly parents for His Son. Mary’s heart was as a humble servant, willing to believe God and to be used by Him. Joseph was the same. He hears from God, he believes God, and he obeys God. That’s really what made them usable, and that’s all that God requires of us, as well. We don’t have to be rich or prominent. We don’t have to have a lot of resources or influence. God is not looking on the outward appearance. It is all about what is in my heart. Do I have a humble spirit? Am I teachable? Am I devoted to God? Do I believe Him? Do I trust Him? Will I obey Him? Am I willing to take up the cross He calls me to bear?

For Joseph, it may have been an easy choice, but it wasn’t an easy thing to do—to take Mary, pregnant before their marriage, to be his wife, to take that journey, to shoulder that responsibility. But he was willing, and God enabled him to bear that burden. And so it is for me. I was not called to parent the Christ child, but I am called to something that God has uniquely for me to do to further His plans and His purpose. If I trust Him and obey Him, surely He will enable me in that task that may seem so beyond me.

But God’s plan for Mary and Joseph did not begin just with this moment that He speaks to them. He had been preparing them for that their entire lives, cultivating their hearts and their relationship with Him, the family they came from, that line of David. It was a process that got them to this moment where, when tasked with something so unfathomable, they both just said yes to whatever God wanted of them. It works the same for us. The family we come from, the experiences we have, the time and place we live, the way God works and moves in us, those things all combine to shape us and prepare us for those unique things God wants us to do for Him.