By Caro December 30, 2022
When we place our lives in God’s hands and are willing to serve Him where He desires, He sometimes gives us challenges that seem beyond our abilities. But let us rest assured: if He calls us, He also equips us for success.
God decided that the best way to give a Savior to the world was to have Him born by a woman. Have you ever taken the time to reflect on the pressure Marie may have felt? Carrying a miraculously conceived child, yes, it is already amazing; but to realize that God chose Mary to mother the Messiah, what a contract! When God told Joseph he was going to be the earthly father of Jesus, surely he wondered if he had the skills to raise the Son of God. Really? That God, in all His great wisdom, thought that Joseph had everything it takes to raise the Savior of the world? Joseph surely doubted it at times.
We could also believe that by giving them such an honor, the parents of Jesus would be well surrounded. Today, Joseph and Mary are at the heart of Christmas celebrations. But at the time, the news was not easy for Joseph. He was a respected man in his religious congregation. Now suddenly his fiancée was pregnant before the wedding? He surely received criticism from those around him: he had not respected tradition. (Who was going to believe that this baby was from God, right?) Perhaps he had a responsibility in the temple, and by breaking tradition, Joseph may have lost the esteem of his religious authorities. We can imagine that he went from the top of the class to being singled out for “falling out” before marriage. Only God (and Mary!) knew that Joseph had lost none of his piety. This stain on his reputation must have been heavy to bear.
A first child, a census, the judgment of others, a life completely turned upside down around a vision, of a fragile little being who did not look like a Savior. When God chooses us for a work to do (Ephesians 2:10), we too can doubt our abilities. Those around us can also doubt our ability to carry out the will of God. Our friends know our past which has not been easy, and they cannot imagine that God has chosen someone like us to walk in His plan. We had so many sexual partners when we were younger that no one can believe that we now want to keep ourselves until marriage. But God chose us, separated us from the world, and put His Spirit in us to make us walk in a new life. God believes in us. He gave us all this mission of holiness, and He also gave us his Spirit to achieve it.
Each person has a particular calling, a specific talent to be used for the benefit of the Kingdom of God. If God has not yet revealed your personal mission to you, we all have, at a minimum, the same calling: to be a witness to His love. Maybe you don’t think you’re qualified to evangelize, that you’re so shy you can’t imagine standing up for Christian values. Those around you may not even believe your authenticity when you tell them about a new life, the salvation of your soul. But God sees your heart, and He knows that you are capable, that you are a light in the darkness.
Hearing criticism from those around him must not have been easy for Joseph, but he was convinced of his calling. He knew that God trusted him, that He had chosen him. “What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31 NIV). If you have given your life to God, it is because He has chosen you to be His representative on Earth. “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you” (John 15:16 NIV). Do not be discouraged by seeing the sacrifices that a sanctified life requires of you. Your Heavenly Father knows that you have everything you need, along with His Spirit, to accomplish your mission in his Kingdom.