Read Matthew 1:18-25

Joseph was truly the man in Mary’s shadow. There is not a single word recorded that he spoke. Most of what we read about him is that of a troubled life because of his taking Mary to be his wife. He had to deal with the news that she was with child before they were married. There was the taxation of Caesar Augustus, and the long hard journey to Bethlehem; then there was the escape to Egypt because King Herod had ordered the slaughter of all baby boys in hope of killing Jesus.

Joseph soon faded out of the Bible story without a trace of what happened to him. Not only did he sacrificially care for Mary and Jesus, but the Bible tells us what God saw in him: He was a just man.

We could all learn a great lesson from Joseph. He taught us how to deal with news and things that happen to us that we do not understand. It is clear that he first thought Mary had betrayed his love. It is also clear that he did not have a short fuse on his temper. If he had the Christmas story would have been much different. (He was a good example of James 1:19 – Let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath.)

The country song says, “You’d better look before you leap still waters run deep.” Even when he thought she had done him wrong he wanted to do her right. To his credit the Bible says that he “thought on these things.” That gave him time to hear from God that Mary was true and faithful. “Then Joseph took Mary to be his wife….and he called her son, Jesus.”

Have we ever leaped before we looked, spoke before we thought, or acted without bothering to know the truth? An axe head that keeps flying off the handle is not much use, in fact it is dangerous. Joseph taught us the importance of “holding it together” when we don’t understand what God is doing. Take time to hear from the Lord; give God a chance to do His perfect work in your life.