Read Luke 2:1-7
Things Are Never Easy.
During the time Jesus was soon to be born, Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. This meant everyone had to go to their own town to register. So Joseph took Mary to Bethlehem since he was from the line of David from Bethlehem. Mary was pregnant and the two were engaged to be married.
While they were in Bethlehem, it was time for Mary to give birth to her son, Jesus. There was no room available in the INN so Mary gave birth to Jesus in a stable. Jesus was wrapped in cloth and laid in a manger.
Have you ever felt that things never come easy? What do we do when we face obstacles or situations each day we didn’t expect or plan for, or even want to have happen? Do we complain? Get mad at God? Do we adapt? Adjust our attitude? Do we say, “Poor Me!” Or do we say, “Praise the Lord” because we know God is in control.
Let’s look at Mary. Mary’s carrying out God’s plan of having God’s child and she’s not married. Can you imagine the rumors that were being spread about Mary throughout her pregnancy? Can you imagine how much her name, along with Joseph’s name, were dragged in the mud because people assumed they had sex before marriage?
Now think of Mary who is pregnant, soon to have a baby, and they get a decree that they must return to Bethlehem for a census. That means they have to travel from Nazareth to Bethlehem which is over 70 miles. Do you think that was fun for Mary who’s pregnant? Do you think she planned for that? I’m sure that wasn’t fun at all, yet it was necessary in order to fulfill the prophecy that the Savior of the world would be born in Bethlehem. It wasn’t easy! But it was necessary in order to fulfill God’s plan. Which means God is with them through it.
When Mary had the baby, do you think she expected the baby to be born in a nice INN or in a stable with a manger? Can you imagine how she felt when they said there’s no room here in the INN.
How can we learn from this?
EXPECT OBSTACLES DAILY! We need to look at them as part of God’s plan. Necessary in order to fulfill his purpose. When obstacles come, we learn to pray and adapt with the help of the Holy Spirit. And then thank God he’s in control and at work.
The alternative is to NOT EXPECT OBSTACLES. This often means we expect a life of comfort and maybe even entitlement, that God owes us a stress-free life. If this is our attitude then we respond with complaining, a lot! We pray but not prayers of faith and trust in God but prayers of complaining and anger and entitlement. Instead of adapting and adjusting to the new circumstances, with the help of the Holy Spirit, we pray God takes away the very thing that’s helping us grow and helping us to actually get where God wants us.
Think about the last 7 days. What obstacles did you face that you didn’t expect? Probably a lot. How did you handle them?
Lord, help me expect daily obstacles. Help me adapt to them with a joy that you are in control and at work.
