By Many men know the burden of provision. At the end of the day, many men know what it’s like to lie awake worrying about the souls in the other room, the finances needed to provide, and a myriad of other things. The hidden trap of worrying about provision is not as much the anxiety as it is the interior isolation. Many men retreat into their heads, isolating themselves by trying to figure out what to do on their end.
The question is not IF you feel anxiety but WHEN you do WHERE DO YOU GO WITH IT?
Another hidden trap that enslaves men is COMPARISON. There’s a reason God calls it a thief.
Comparison robs us of the inner joy and peace which come from a life rested in God’s provision.
In both cases, Joseph shows us there is another way to approach these traps: He keeps perspective.
Joseph must have been overwhelmed on the journey to Bethlehem by all the other travelers moving at a faster pace, but he chose to move at Mary’s pace, rather than complicate her pregnancy. He could’ve easily fell into despair at the smallness of their own supplies as he saw caravans of families loaded up with provision for the weeks excursion, while his wife sat on a meager donkey. It would’ve been easy for him to lose his joy in the midst of such provision and comparison, but Joesph kept his eyes on God. He knew he had something no one else did. He had a wife, named Mary, and a Son, who was Jesus, the Son of God.
Temptations are not immune to any of us, not even Joseph, not even Mary; it’s what we do WHEN they come that matters most.
WHERE do you look when they come? Do you look to yourself to carry the burden alone? Or do you look to God and Trust Him for the outcome?
Joseph knew he was not responsible for God’s burdens but only entrusted to carry the ones He gave him to steward. Joseph’s responsibility was TO LISTEN TO GOD- and God was responsible for everything else.
WHAT ABOUT YOU? where do you feel responsible? More importantly, where do you “go” with that feeling?
📖 READ Psalm 127 and 121. Consider how much Joseph would have prayed these words.
🙏🏼 PRAY Father, help me REST in you. Jesus, help me TRUST in you.
Then give your worries to God and trust that he will bring you to what you need most. Advent is about keeping our Joy because we have something the world doesn’t: Hope in a Savior.
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