Consider that God – the creator of the whole universe – was almost snuffed out in the womb before he was even born. It woulwd have happened too, except for the humble and …
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Consider that God – the creator of the whole universe – was almost snuffed out in the womb before he was even born. It woulwd have happened too, except for the humble and unquestioning actions of a thoughtful and caring man. A man by the name of Joseph who put the needs of others before his own.
Mary brought God into this world as an unwed mother, in a culture that demanded unwed mothers be put immediately to death. Joseph though was “…unwilling to expose her to shame, and decided to divorce her quietly,” as we read in Gospel of Matthew
One can only imagine how humiliating it would have been for Joseph to find out the woman he was to marry had become pregnant by another. But rather than fly into a vindictive rage, he thought first of her well-being. Although he was sure to be mocked, scorned, and shamed by all in the village, he thought first of Mary.
Later in the Gospel we find that Joseph is visited by an angel, and told that the Holy Spirit conceived the child in Mary’s womb, and he was to take her as his wife. Without questioning, he “did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took his wife into his home.” I think the two main lessons we can take from this are humility and trust in God.
God’s will for us can seem strange and bizarre at times. It is all too easy to become doubtful and wonder at God’s plan for us. At times like this, try to remember how easy it would have been for Joseph to doubt what the angel told him. But without even the slightest doubt, Joseph unquestioningly followed God’s will for him.
At times life can seem very unfair, and we can become bitter and lash out at people. Look to the example of Joseph though. If anyone had the right to become bitter and lash out, Joseph did. But he didn’t. Instead he thought more about others than he did his own feelings.
Joseph’s humility and trust in God led to great and wonderful things. Humility and trust in God can also allow you to bring something good out of something that you perceive as bad.
The Rev. Bill Roush contributed to this article.
