An Unexpected ChristmasSample

Day 5: A Tenuous Journey

So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. (Luke 2:4–5)

Have you ever been on a road trip with a pregnant woman? It’s not an experience many of us would like to repeat. I can say this because I have been a pregnant woman on a road trip. It’s uncomfortable, exhausting, and the restroom stops seem to outnumber the stars. But my road trip happened in a car with leather seats and air conditioning.

Imagine for a moment what was happening in the Christmas story at this point. There’s Mary, a very pregnant teenager. She was almost full-term, so the baby was coming any day. She’s approached by her husband, Joseph, who was saying they would need to pop over to Bethlehem via donkey so they could be counted in the census. 

Mary would have needed help with the clumsy and cumbersome task of climbing onto a donkey. She would have spent hours at a time being jostled around in the heat and humidity. Joseph wouldn’t dare complain, but his feet would likely be blistered and aching from miles and miles of walking. They journeyed for at least five days, stopping only to sleep under the stars on the hard ground.

This was a difficult and uncertain journey. But Mary and Joseph weren’t obsessing about how this wasn’t part of their 10-year plan. Instead, they did the best thing they could do. They took a deep breath, trusted God, and took a step... and then another… and another. 

When faced with an overwhelming and uncertain future, Joseph and Mary trusted what their eyes couldn’t see. 

What would it look like if we did the same? What would happen if we could focus less on the questions we don’t have answers to, the inconveniences of our current situations, and the gap between our expectations and reality? 

What if we could shift our focus to the God who protected and provided for Joseph and Mary all those years ago? He sees the big picture when all we can see is our own little corner. He promised to make all things work together for our good and for his glory. And he does his best work in the middle of our doubt, discontent, and despair. He is the God of the tenuous journey.