And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. – Luke 1: 26-27

When Mary was paid a visit by an angel of the Lord, she probably thought that there must have been some mistake. But, if she had read the instructions which the angel had been given by God, she would have known that she was exactly the one he had been looking for. Only she fit that description. Notice the specificity of Luke 1: 26-27.

It was at a specific time – The sixth month.
It was one of God’s chief angels – Gabriel.
Gabriel was sent on a mission by God – He did not leave heaven half cocked on his own.
To a specific region – Galilee.
To a specific city – Nazareth.
To a specific type of woman – A virgin.
To a woman in a specific relationship – One who was espoused (to give the baby cover).
To a specific man – A man of integrity whose name was Joseph.
To a specific lineage – Of the house of David.
To a specific woman – Her name was Mary.

If Gabriel’s checklist teaches us anything, it teaches us that: 1). When God calls us into His service, we should not be surprised if He reveals our place in the kingdom to somebody else before He reveals it to us. Gabriel knew before Mary knew. 2). When God calls us, He does not have us mixed up with somebody else. We are exactly who He means. 3). When God calls us into His service, who we are, where we are from and our relationship to others is taken into consideration. Mary was a virgin from Nazareth, espoused to a man named Joseph who was of the house of David. All of this contributed to why she was chosen by God. So, don’t deny who you are when you are called to serve the Lord. God has already taken that into account. That God knows all of this and calls us anyway is miraculous.