Full of Love

“But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” Matthew 1:20,21

Imagine how much Joseph must have loved this woman. My last post talked about the fear that Mary must have gone through, but this is a whole different ball of wax. The love that Joseph must have been filled with to stay with her is amazing to me. I think it would have been very easy for him to dismiss this angel and walk away from Mary for forever. But he didn't. He took what the angel said and held it in his heart and took care of Mary. He accepted the fact that she was pregnant with God's Son, despite the ridicule that he no doubt received from everyone around him. In the world's eyes, she was damaged goods, and that reflected on Joseph, and who knows what the people said about Joseph. You know he had to love Mary, and love God in order to stay and be her husband.

Yesterday we spent the afternoon and early evening celebrating Christmas with our dearest friends. It was much needed, Andy hasn't been feeling very much in the holiday mood, and yesterday we had the perfect opportunity to spend time with friends and just share what Christmas is all about- and that is love. Mary loved God and found great favor with him. Joseph loved Mary and loved God and was chosen to be the earthly father for God's Son. And God loved US so much that he came to earth as a baby to save us all from eternal torment. Love is an amazing and powerful thing. By the time the evening drew to a close, I think it was safe to say that we'd found the Christmas Spirit. By remembering the reason for Christmas, and sharing that love with those we love, we are able to fully enjoy Christmas and all that it means to us.