Joseph…did just as an angel commanded

Mary gets a lot of credit for being faithful and obedient. And listen, she should. The poor thing was put in quite the predicament – pregnant and unwed with her reputation and entire future at stake. It had to have been terrifying, but according to the 38^th verse of Luke 1, Mary reacted to finding out that she’d become pregnant by the Holy Spirit by saying, “I am the Lord’s Servant. May your word to me be fulfilled.” Certainly, Mary should be praised for her immediate obedience, but sometimes I find myself asking, “Did she have a choice?” Could she have said, “No, thanks. Appreciate the offer, but I’m good”? Sure, maybe God selected Mary because he knew she would be faithful, but it seems like the privilege was bestowed upon Mary without much input.

On the other hand, Joseph didn’t HAVE to marry Mary. When he initially found out that she was pregnant, he wasn’t going to. He called off the engagement. This was done so as to not humiliate Mary, but you have to think that he benefited from breaking off the engagement as well. I can’t imagine that marrying a woman pregnant by another father would gain you much esteem in the community. But after the angel appeared to Joseph and told him that he didn’t have to be afraid to marry Mary, he chose to have faith, to trust that it would work out. He could have easily walked away, and no one would have known any difference.

Both Mary and Joseph were faithful, but they were faithful in different ways. I think that in life, we’re sometimes asked to trust like Mary did. We’re put into a difficult scenario and given the opportunity to put our trust in God to get through it. I think of this type of faith when I think about those who are walking through troubling or challenging times like an illness or the death of a loved one. But then there are times when faith looks more like the faith of Joseph – it’s an option. These are times when we see an opportunity to trust God and we make a willing choice to believe. Perhaps that choice looks like inviting a friend to worship, volunteering to serve in the church or community, or making giving of our resources in sacrificial ways. I’m grateful that the Christmas story gives us multiple examples of what trust looks like in the flesh. I hope and pray that we’re able to trust like Mary in whatever scenario comes our way, but that we’re also making the choice to be faithful like Joseph – finding ways to step out and trust with our actions.