“When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife.” Matthew 1:24
Joseph is a character in the Christmas story who doesn’t get enough credit. You can see that he was amazing when you read about what he had to endure. Imagine you’re Joseph, and your girlfriend is pregnant and telling everybody God did it. Imagine what Joseph’s friends were saying to him, “Don’t let her do you like that. Have you lost your mind? That girl’s running around on you.” And the Bible says Joseph proposed and decided in his mind that he was not going to divorce Mary. His mind was made up. He didn’t have anything to do with this change of plans. He was going to marry her, and they were going to live happily ever after. Joseph had planned for them to be a normal family. But God’s plan made him face something out of his control that he didn’t fully understand.
The great miracle in this situation was Joseph changing his mind about a situation that he could not change. You may also find yourself in a situation you cannot change this Christmas. You didn’t create the situation, but God allowed it to happen. But truly trusting God is saying, “I’m going to accept the change that He has allowed.” Joseph accepted God’s will and changed his mind about sending Mary away, even though the challenge that he was about to face had nothing to do with the choices he made.
God may be saying to you this Christmas, “I’m asking you to accept something I have allowed, even if you don’t understand it, agree with it, and even if you don’t like it.” So many people this Christmas season will let situations that are out of their control steal their peace and joy. But sometimes you just have to say, “It is what it is. I can’t change it. I had nothing to do with it, but I accept it.” Accept the challenges that don’t seem fair. Accept the phase of your life that is more challenging than you ever expected. Accept the disability, the illness, the layoff, or the empty seat at the table of someone who might have been there last year but isn’t this year. Your challenge this Christmas is to accept what God has allowed.
Joseph had to accept the fact that he would not have a typical family. There would be controversy, trouble, and turmoil, and he would have to make a decision. He had to change his mind because his current circumstances weren’t going to change. You’ll never experience real change in your life until you change the way you think. No matter what is going on in your life, God is on the throne. He can still bless you. Decide this Christmas season that you will accept the things you cannot change. This setback will not rob you of your peace or make you bitter. Have an “it is what it is” mentality. God is in control, and you are going to have a great Christmas.
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