The purpose of this devotional is to help prepare you for the celebration of the birth of Jesus. You may do this as your own quiet time, but we would encourage you to gather some family or loved ones to go through it together.

Earlier this year, the Lord placed a word on my heart: trust. Uncoincidentally, this year has contained a significant amount of unexpected challenges. These challenges have required me to actively put my trust in the Lord. When faced with unexpected situations or even a genuinely challenging year, like 2020, our initial reaction may be to flee. Like our unexpected challenges, Mary and Joseph faced an unexpected challenge of their own. When faced with challenges of our own, we may want to hide, flee, or ignore the situation all-together, yet our trust must remain in the Lord.

In Mary and Joseph’s situation, Joseph, out of respect for Mary, was going to break their engagement off quietly. Joseph wanted to flee from this difficult situation. In a dream, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph and said, “Do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife.” Instead of fleeing, Joseph chose to trust in God. In the same way that Joseph trusted God in his situation, we can trust God in ours. What is your situation this Christmas? Whether it is the pandemic, family relationships, finances, health, or other situations, you can trust God with all things.

-Jamie Schlatter, Leo Campus Children’s Ministry Coordinator