Father's at Christmas

Matthew 1:18-25

Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: when His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit.

And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man and not wanting to disgrace her, planned to send her away secretly. But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins."

Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: "BEHOLD, THE VIRGIN SHALL BE WITH CHILD AND SHALL BEAR A SON, AND THEY SHALL CALL HIS NAME IMMANUEL," which translated means, "GOD WITH US."

And Joseph awoke from his sleep and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took Mary as his wife, but kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a Son; and he called His name Jesus.

We don't know a lot about Joseph. From this passage, and from earlier in the chapter, we know that through Joseph, Jesus was given his lineage. He is from the line of King David. We can tell that he is an upstanding person who God knew he could depend on to take care of Mary and Jesus. He did not question the Lord, he listened to what the angel told him, and did exactly what he should. He was true to his Lord, his self and his marriage. Sometimes, our fathers are the ones who take the backseat in many things. When a child gets hurt, they want Mommy. Many fathers have not had the credit due them. Many fathers are happily quiet in the background, quietly doing their jobs, paying the bills and keeping us on the straight and narrow. Joseph seemed to be like that. The last time we see Joseph, he is searching for Jesus when he was 12 years old and teaching in the temple. But he must have been a good husband and father, though none of that credit is given to him.

I feel fortunate to have a father that was and is involved in my life. Sometimes I didn't like it, but that was very few times. I am happy that my husband is in my children's lives too. They don't like it, but some day they will see that his involvement is a very good thing too and that I hope Timm will mimic his father's intentions and Allie will find a husband who is willing to be a part of his family's life. So today, think about your father, your Heavenly Father, and maybe even, Father Christmas. All the good qualities they possess will make your load lighter this holiday.