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What Stresses You Out?
Moving stresses me out. A few years ago, my family and I moved interstate and used a removalist company. You’d think this would make the whole process less stressful! But on the day of our move, the company forgot about us, and so they came the next day. Then, when they went to drop off our stuff at the new place, they demanded we pay more and held our stuff hostage until we did. Obviously, no one wants to be manipulated this way, but then we realized that these people now knew where we lived!
Moving is stressful, and so is having your first child! Having your first baby is beautiful but terrifying. Babies are so small, defenseless, and seemingly fragile. You feel like you’re going to break them when you change their nappy. And when you’re a first-time parent, you have no idea what you’re doing, so parenting is even harder.
I can think of nothing worse for Mary and Joseph than having to move from Israel to Egypt just after having their first baby, Jesus. And by the way, the reason why they have to move is because the king of Israel, the most powerful man in the land, is hunting their baby to destroy him!
Imagine being Joseph and Mary. You’ve had angels visit you to tell you that your son is special; you’ve just seen wise men travel 1,000 kilometers to come and worship him. You’d feel so blessed, but also confused. Why is God allowing these challenges to happen? Why is God sending us to Egypt? Why is God making our lives so difficult?
And look, we ask similar questions today, don’t we? When God guides us into difficult situations, whenever he makes us uncomfortable, we can struggle to trust in the sovereign plan and goodness of God.
And yet, like Joseph, Jesus was taken to Egypt because of evil men. And like Joseph, we need to remember that God can work through evil to bring about good. We just need to trust him—as difficult as that can be!
Today, ponder this: What is causing you stress at the moment? How can you take this stress and worry to the Lord and lay it at his feet?
Scripture
About this Plan
Find hope in Jesus by exploring the opening chapters of Matthew’s Gospel. These chapters reveal who Jesus is: fully human, fully divine, Immanuel—God with us. He is the beloved Son of God, fulfilling the promises made to Abraham and David. Through His life, death, and resurrection, Jesus not only shows us how to live in the kingdom of God but also makes a way for us to enter it. As His ministry begins with the call to repentance, we see the long-awaited kingdom finally breaking into the world. Hope is here!
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