Do Something!

"Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly. But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the LORD appeared to him in a dream..."

(Matthew 1:19-20a)

Relationships are tricky. You search for that perfect "soul mate"... sometimes for years. And then when you find the person you think might be "the one," sometimes a shocking revelation throws the whole thing up in the air. At least, that's how it happened for Joe. He thought Mary was the one he'd spend his life with. But then she got pregnant. And Joe was not the father. (ouch!)

So he faced a dilemma. Expose her brazen behavior and subject her to the ridicule of the town (thereby upholding his good name). Marry her, knowing he'd have to raise a child that wasn't his own. Or quietly just end their relationship, as if it never happened. Joe had a heart and couldn't make the first choice. The second option was tough. So he opted for #3.

The author of Matthew tells us that "just when he had resolved to do this..." and angel of the LORD came and told him the news - Mary hadn't been fooling around. She's with child by divine pretense. Which had to be a tough sell to hear, but Joe believed it. The rest, they say, is history.

This story remind me that God helps us, of course. But God needs us to DO SOMETHING! To make a decision about how to move forward in life. Don't just sit on our rears and hope things change on their own. Don't wait for some divine message to "tell us what to do." Make a choice. Move ahead with life. And then pay attention to what God might tell us... especially if it means altering our plans.