Selflessness in the Midst of Uncertainty
Have you ever woke up feeling well-rested, happy, and saying to yourself, "Today is going to be a great day!." You get out of bed, brush your teeth, take a refreshing shower, and get dressed. The coffee is brewing and you feel confident about the day that has begun already. Then you phone dings and you receive a text. You receive some news that you really were not hoping to receive. Suddenly your day is ruined.
What could have gone through Joseph's mind when Mary told him that she was pregnant? Here Joseph was about to get married to the woman he loved and he finds out that she is pregnant with presumably another man's child. I would have felt angry, betrayed, and hurt. What would you have done? In those days, Mary would have been guilty of adultery and who have been punished with death. Joseph had every right to tell the church leaders and officials and have her stoned. But instead he decided to divorce her quietly. "He was a righteous man, and unwilling to expose her to shame." Even when Joseph found out Mary was with someone else's child, putting his future in the balance, and when he was in the midst of uncertainty, he thought of Mary and her well-being. In being a righteous man, Joseph, in his selflessness, looked at the bigger picture and put others first.
When things don't go our way or when our plans get messed up, how do we respond? Do we think about how we are inconvenienced and how unfair things are to us? Do we judge others harshly and become merciless? Do we become self-righteous and think about how good we are and how bad it was that whoever or whatever messed up our plans is? How we respond when our plans are messed up and how we choose to act in the midst of those uncertainties tells us what kind of person we are and who and what we live for. For Joseph, he placed Mary and her child before himself. Perhaps he trusted in Mary's character and knew that something must have happened or maybe he believed in God's plan for his life, whatever it may be. In the midst of this inner conflict, the Angel appears to Joseph in a dream and explains what has happened with Mary and tells Joseph to not be afraid to take Mary as his wife, and in fact to do so. Joseph listens and does as he has been told.
Because Joseph was a righteous man, he knew right from wrong, good from evil, and his plans from God's plans. When we embrace selflessness and put God first, even in then midst of uncertainty and suffering, we can be sure that God will come to us and reveal Himself to us as He did with Joseph. However, if we allow our hearts to be troubled and occupied with fears and anxieties, we will be unable to listen to the still voice of God, who is trying to tell us, "Do not be afraid."
In life, our plans will be intercepted at times. We will be upset and disappointed. But if we are able to embrace the truth that everything is in God's hands, we will not be robbed of the peace that is in our hearts. If we can look at the bigger pictures and realize that not everything is about us, when our plans gets messed up we will not be shaken by it. We should rather be like Joseph - pray, think of the other person, and let God direct our very next move. Look what happened with Joseph. He accompanied Mary and helped raise baby Jesus. He cooperated with God's plan, and though it was not the plan he had in mind, it was the plan that gave him the most joy, the plan that gave him fulfillment.
Trust in God's plan for you, embrace selflessness, and receive the peace that comes to you.
What could have gone through Joseph's mind when Mary told him that she was pregnant? Here Joseph was about to get married to the woman he loved and he finds out that she is pregnant with presumably another man's child. I would have felt angry, betrayed, and hurt. What would you have done? In those days, Mary would have been guilty of adultery and who have been punished with death. Joseph had every right to tell the church leaders and officials and have her stoned. But instead he decided to divorce her quietly. "He was a righteous man, and unwilling to expose her to shame." Even when Joseph found out Mary was with someone else's child, putting his future in the balance, and when he was in the midst of uncertainty, he thought of Mary and her well-being. In being a righteous man, Joseph, in his selflessness, looked at the bigger picture and put others first.
When things don't go our way or when our plans get messed up, how do we respond? Do we think about how we are inconvenienced and how unfair things are to us? Do we judge others harshly and become merciless? Do we become self-righteous and think about how good we are and how bad it was that whoever or whatever messed up our plans is? How we respond when our plans are messed up and how we choose to act in the midst of those uncertainties tells us what kind of person we are and who and what we live for. For Joseph, he placed Mary and her child before himself. Perhaps he trusted in Mary's character and knew that something must have happened or maybe he believed in God's plan for his life, whatever it may be. In the midst of this inner conflict, the Angel appears to Joseph in a dream and explains what has happened with Mary and tells Joseph to not be afraid to take Mary as his wife, and in fact to do so. Joseph listens and does as he has been told.
Because Joseph was a righteous man, he knew right from wrong, good from evil, and his plans from God's plans. When we embrace selflessness and put God first, even in then midst of uncertainty and suffering, we can be sure that God will come to us and reveal Himself to us as He did with Joseph. However, if we allow our hearts to be troubled and occupied with fears and anxieties, we will be unable to listen to the still voice of God, who is trying to tell us, "Do not be afraid."
In life, our plans will be intercepted at times. We will be upset and disappointed. But if we are able to embrace the truth that everything is in God's hands, we will not be robbed of the peace that is in our hearts. If we can look at the bigger pictures and realize that not everything is about us, when our plans gets messed up we will not be shaken by it. We should rather be like Joseph - pray, think of the other person, and let God direct our very next move. Look what happened with Joseph. He accompanied Mary and helped raise baby Jesus. He cooperated with God's plan, and though it was not the plan he had in mind, it was the plan that gave him the most joy, the plan that gave him fulfillment.
Trust in God's plan for you, embrace selflessness, and receive the peace that comes to you.
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| The Dream of St. Joseph by Luca Giordano |
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