Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly. But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”
MATTHEW 1:19-21 NKJV
Joseph just wanted to marry the girl he loved. Now she’s talking about the Holy Spirit impregnated her.
That sounds like shady lady business at worst and foolishness at best. He didn’t sign up for all this.
But neither did Mary.
I mean, from the days of Eve, every Jewish woman anticipated the honor of birthing the One prophesied to crush the serpent’s head.
But you expect something so holy would happen in a way that appears holy. This all sounded and would look to everyone else as scandalous.
And Joseph, being a stand-up guy, wanted to honor his love while avoiding all the smoke that seemed to come with her, including the prospect of raising a son that’s not biologically his!
Sometimes, and more often than we’d like, the way the Jesus reveals himself totally upends your life.
You have a plan—an honorable one—but He has another. And when you’re adjacent to the person at the center of the action, you have a choice to make.
Embrace the call to guard what’s been entrusted to them, trusting that what sounds crazy is God’s glorious plan unfolding or cut your losses and wish them well.
The first option is tough, to say the least. It requires humility, courage and grieving what you thought would be. The ultimate expression of trusting in the Lord—no matter what (Proverbs 3:5-6).
Vanessa A. Harris 