One On One: 100 Days With Jesus--ADVENTSample

Joseph: The Husband who Did the Next Thing

Did I miss something? Joseph got Mary safely to Bethlehem. He found a place to protect her while she rested, a place where she could give birth. In a sense, he did   his job. But you have to wonder if the crisis they had endured these past six   months, culminating now in this makeshift birthing stall, made Joseph wonder if he had messed up somehow. 

This is not how I would have planned it. This special child would have been born in Nazareth, not Bethlehem. Or Jerusalem even, where our people could help. There should be midwives, not farm animals. An actual bed, not just hay. And at the baby’s first cry, friends and family and neighbors   should erupt in celebration. Here we just have stars. A sky full of twinkling, silent stars. We are alone. 

As Joseph paced under those stars, was he frustrated? Or frightened? Did he pray? “I’ve done what You’ve asked of me, God, but it doesn’t feel right. When the angel told me this plan was of Your making, I think I expected something other than a stable for the birth of Your Son. If it was my son, I would have planned it better . . . Mary has been nothing but faithful to You. Uncomplaining. A quiet spirit. Willing. She expects me to do right by her. To do right by You. So, is this right or did we miss something?” 

What do you do when you feel caught between all that you know to do and what makes sense? It may not seem like it, but you do have options. 

Option A: Reverse course. You can go back to what feels right to you. 

Option B: Stand still, neither moving forward nor back. Freeze in place out of fear of doing something wrong.

Option C: Do the next thing. You always know one thing you can do and so by faith you do that, trusting God you’re moving in the right direction. 

And that’s what makes Joseph God’s man for the job. He did the next thing. When the angel told him to take Mary as his wife, he did it. When Mary explained her encounter with Gabriel, he listened and believed her. When God prompted him to go to Bethlehem (to fulfill Micah 5:2 prophecy), he went. Soon he’ll be asked to pack up his young family and hide from Herod in Egypt, and he will obey again. 

As important as he was to the story, Joseph only saw a small piece of the big picture. We know more than he ever did. But God gave him enough light on a dark path to take the next step, and he took it. 

Most of our questions won’t get answered until heaven. But like Joseph, we will always be given enough light to take the next step till we get there. 

Tomorrow: One on one with Jesus, His story from heaven’s perspective