Mary & Joseph: Saying Yes to God

​As Christmas nears, and we ready our hearts to celebrate the birth of Jesus, we can find encouragement from the faithfulness of Mary and Joseph. In all reality, Christmas may not seem as bright and cheery this year, but we would be wise to acknowledge that neither were significant aspects of the very first Christmas.

Have you ever tried putting yourself in the shoes of Mary and Joseph when you read the gospels? Perhaps you can hardly imagine what it must have been like for them to learn of Mary’s pregnancy, to have angelic beings visit them with indescribable news, and to then live each day in the reality of being parents to the child who was born in such miraculous circumstances. The faithfulness of Mary and Joseph rises from the gospels as great encouragement to believers.

This Christmas, as we celebrate differently and experience various trials and challenges, we can look to Mary and Joseph, who endured a variety of trials and hardships, to find encouragement and hold onto the hope we have in Jesus. 

What we can learn from them:

• Though Mary and Joseph’s circumstances were not ideal, God still chose them because of their faithfulness.
• Mary’s faithfulness endured, and she surrendered to God’s perfect plan.
• Joseph’s faithfulness to the word of the Lord opened his heart to God’s plans.
• Mary’s faith motivated her to worship the Lord in the unknown.

The faithfulness of Mary and Joseph that we read about in the Gospel accounts of the events leading up to Jesus’ birth is inspiring. We can find encouragement from the lives they lived and the faith they held onto regardless of what they faced. May we all find ways to hold onto our faith in God and cling to him in every situation.

Make Every Day Count!

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