The Men of ChristmasНамуна

Being a Righteous Man...

“When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.”

It’s a great idea and a great quality to possess. The ability to take an undesirable situation and make something positive, men—that’s a quality to pursue.

It’s not always easy, and to be fair, I’ve had some pretty bad glasses of lemonade—sometimes, no matter how much sugar is added, some lemons are just too sour to make anything you want a second glass of.

So, what sets those people apart, who can turn anything into a thirst-quenching (or at least potable) drink?

The story of Joseph gives us some insight.

Perhaps you know this part of the Christmas narrative. It’s found in the first chapter of Matthew’s Gospel. In short, Joseph found out Mary, his fiancé, was pregnant. (As a mental exercise, imagine what that conversation with Mary would have been like—she had no proof that her pregnancy was a divine miracle!).

Joseph, undoubtedly heartbroken, had to decide what to do.

The Bible tells us that Joseph was “faithful to the law” (Matthew 1:19). Another way to translate that is the older version of “being a righteous man.” It is this quality that informed his decision on how to proceed with Mary. He decided to divorce her quietly. Joseph did not want to heap any more disgrace on Mary. In their small town, her secret would not remain so for long, and then stories would begin to fly. No matter what Joseph did, Mary was in for a difficult road.

Joseph knew the law, which meant he knew God’s story, which meant he knew God and God’s heart. Even if Joseph felt betrayed and could have, by the law, subjected Mary to the consequences of unfaithfulness, he chose not to. Instead, his righteousness—informed by his relationship with God—allowed him to take a course of action that many would not have chosen.

It must have still been a bitter drink.

Do you long to be able to make the most of situations? To turn even the worst of things into something positive? Start with your relationship with God. Do you know Him? Do you spend time getting to know Him by reading about who He is and what He’s done in the pages of the Bible?

Joseph was righteous because he was faithful to the law—he knew what it said. Lemons into lemonade starts there.

Prayer: Father, sometimes it is hard to know the right thing to do, especially when life has been unkind or unfair. However, we do not have to let our circumstances push us into acting in bad or selfish ways. Help me to be rooted and grounded enough in You to act righteously even when everything around me is unrighteous. Amen.

Reflection: Do you spend enough time with God through Scripture to let righteousness guide your decisions?