To be honest, I’m not sure we give enough space for the wild inner conflict Joseph might have been wrestling with. The woman he loved was pregnant, and the baby wasn’t his. His mind probably swirled with questions: What will people say? What will this cost me? The peace he once imagined for his life, the temporal peace he might have worked hard to have for his future, was slipping through his fingers.
And then, God stepped in and spoke. Through an angel, God gave Joseph a new perspective and a clear invitation: “Do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 1:20).
We don’t see Joseph argue or delay - instead we watch Him trust and obey. In surrendering his plans and his vision for his life, he found something far better: the peace of following God.
And miraculously, it worked. Everything would not be simple: not the birth, not when he and Mary and baby Jesus would have to run for their lives. But the peace was enough to allow Joseph to stay, and thus - play a critical role in the redemption story of all mankind.
His little figurine is in all our nativity sets because God’s peace is real, and Joseph surrended to it.
What conflict and fears are you facing this season? Maybe it’s the “‘normal” stress of juggling it all or perhaps you’re growing familiar with the intense ache of unmet expectations. Whatever it is, I want to remind you that peace isn’t the absence of pain - it’s the presence of God’s assurance, even in the mess. When we surrender control and let God take the lead, His peace—steady and unshakable—will fill the spaces where anxiety once lived.
This week, let’s follow Joseph’s example. Let’s trust that God’s plans are always good, even when they’re different from our own.