The
birth of Jesus took place like this. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be
married to Joseph. Before they came to the marriage bed, Joseph discovered she
was pregnant. (It was by the Holy Spirit, but he didn’t know that.) Joseph,
chagrined but noble, determined to take care of things quietly so Mary would
not be disgraced. Matthew 1:18-19 The Message Bible
To be engaged to someone at this time was as
legally binding as being married. The only difference was that the couple was
not yet living together, and thus, unlike many couples today, not sleeping
together. Joseph’s only option when he found out that Mary was pregnant was to
cancel the marriage contract and divorce her. He could have done this publicly
and given the masses the right to stone her. Or he could do it quietly in front
of two witnesses, which would save Mary’s honor and her life.
Joseph had a lot to think about. When we are
faced with difficulties, do we look at all possible solutions? Do we submit to
God's authority? Or do we plunge in and do the first thing we think of? Next
time you have a challenge to face, look at all your options before taking
action. And most importantly, take time to pray.
(Every Sunday from now until Christmas, I will be sharing an
excerpt from “The Christmas Story in 40 Days”. A friend of mine gave me a
rubber duckie Nativity set to add to my rubber duckie collection. I went a
little crazy taking pictures of these ducks, but hopefully, if you find my
words boring, at least the pictures over the next six weeks will keep you
coming back for more. And if you don’t find my words boring, don’t forget to
order your copy of “The Christmas Story in 40 Days” before the forty days is
up.)
3 comments:
My challenge since Sept 25, has been "Not to run screaming out of work & never come back." The new computer program EPIC has been a huge road block for me. But last week was the first week I didn't cry or walk away from my laptop with my hands in the air in a feeling of hopelessness. YAY for me.
Denise, did I ever tell you about the first day we went live with our new computer system at work? I ended up hiding in a store room, crying, and had to take off my sock to use as a Kleenex before going back to work! Now, that's pathetic. And four years later, there are days I still want to take my laptop out to the parking lot at work and run it over with my car. Hang in there! It obviously doesn't get better!
No, you didn't share that bit of wisdom. Ohhhh BTW, I'm tired of hearing, give it time, you will learn to love it. Thanks for sharing Chris.
Post a Comment