You Are Already Favored
Gabriel begins as he always begins, as God always begins (since this is God’s message, not Gabriel’s), with the affirmation of God’s creation. “Greetings, favored one!”
Gabriel proclaims to Mary. “The Lord is with you!” Before she hears anything else, God wants Mary to hear this: She is favored… Although a teenager, Mary need not “find” herself. Her identity is a gift, bestowed upon her by God alone. Who am I? Mary may wonder. And God replies, “You are my favored one, beloved and beautiful to me.” Mark 2:10-11
In truth, Mary does not stand much chance for an identity apart from God. She is too young to have had time to achieve much on which to base her identity. She is too poor to purchase her place in society.
That forgiveness is a gracious gift that we can never earn. In fact, there is nothing we can do to receive it except to take it from his hand in repentant faith. When we have accepted his gift, we are on our way to grace and growth.
Add to this the fact that she is female, which means that even if she did have accomplishments or social stature to her credit, they likely would have gone unrecognized because of her gender.
All of this makes Mary a most unlikely candidate for helping God save the world, which is precisely why God enlists her. Nothing about Mary suggests that she can be who she is apart from God’s favor of her.
—Dennis F. Kinlaw
Before Mary did anything—before her brave yes, before her song, before she became the mother of Jesus—God spoke a truth over her: “You are favored.” As Dennis Kinlaw points out, Mary had no status, no resume, no platform. She was young, poor, and female in a culture that overlooked all three. Yet God’s messenger didn’t begin with demands or expectations. He began with identity: You are loved. You are chosen. You are not alone.
This is how God still speaks to us today—especially when we feel unqualified, unseen, or uncertain of who we are. In recovery, when shame whispers that we’ll never be enough, God gently reminds us that our identity is not something we earn—it’s something we receive. Like Mary, we don’t have to find ourselves in the world’s eyes. We only need to hear the truth: You are God’s beloved. You are favored. And with Him, your life has purpose. Grace always starts there. —DH
—David Hoskins, Founder & Care Guide, Sanctuary Clinics