Knowing the baby wasn’t his, Joseph had made the decision to break his engagement with his pregnant fiancé, Mary. As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. “Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. (Matthew 1:20 NLT)
The angel caused Joseph to rethink his decision to walk away from Mary. This decision would alter his life in a big way. Each of us is faced with numerous decisions each day, some bigger than others. Maybe not quite as big as the one Joseph had to make, but big nonetheless.
What decisions are you faced with today? Maybe they are relatively minor choices like what to have for dinner or what to wear. Or maybe they are decisions that are life-altering, like the one Joseph had to make. What treatment should I pursue? Is he/she “the one” for me? Is this job a good fit? Can we afford this house? I don’t know about you, but I couldn’t possibly count the little decisions that I make each day because they don’t require much, if any, thought. They almost seem too easy to even consider them a decision. The bigger ones certainly grab my attention though.
My daughter is a high school senior and happens to be facing some particularly large ones as she looks to her future. College? If so, where? Major? If not college, then what? The unknown can be scary territory for all of us, but the good news is that God doesn’t just leave us there to go it alone.
When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded and took Mary as his wife. (Matthew 1:24 NLT) As a result, Joseph was privileged to serve as the earthly father of Jesus, the Messiah and Savior of the world. I bet that looked good on his resumé!
Just as in the days of Joseph, our tomorrows are impacted by the decisions we make today. We must choose wisely! Joseph had an angel assist him. Believers today have the Holy Spirit, a resident 24/7 guidance counselor. Jesus said, “But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you. “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.” (John 14:26-27 NLT)
May you receive and savor the gift of peace that Jesus came to give…
Sorry I haven’t posted anything new in a few weeks. I have been busy preparing for Christmas and finishing off another semester. I did some writing last week—my annual Christmas card letter. This post is an adaptation of that letter.