Matthew 1:19-21 19 Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to divorce her quietly. 20 But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”

My Poem: Joseph was worried about his dear wife

Because she was ‘bout to give birth to a life

But she was a virgin and he was ashamed,

He’d divorce quietly and not be to blame

But that night on high, an angel came to him,

And said that the child would clear man of sin.

The angel also said that he should not leave his son

Mary was to name him Jesus and he’d be the only one;

To save all God’s people from the sin that they had done.

My Reflection: Frankly, I’m impressed at how brave Joseph would’ve had to be to face that he might have been publicly disgraced. But, he was brave, and in the end, he chose the option of protecting and raising his son - at the risk of being mocked - instead of the latter. I, in this position, would have found it very hard to decide. Of course, I don’t have any experience raising a child, but I bet it was hard for Joseph.

Prayer: Lord, help us today to make good decisions even if we don’t want to. Help us also to be brave like Joseph and the unfathomable decision that he was told to make. Many times in the day we do not follow this, and choose not the right path but the most convenient option we see. In Your name, Amen.

- C. W. SHELLEY