God’s Plan

This weeks gospel Matthew 1:18-25 Joseph finds out that Mary is pregnant. His first reaction is similar to what many guys would have done.  He decided that he was going to quietly leave Mary and get a divorce. He knew that the baby wasn’t his so he made up his mind to just move on. Well, God had other plans (as usual).  Later on in a dream, an Angel appeared to Joseph and explained that Mary was carrying a child who was sent to save us from our sins. He was to stay married to her and name the child Jesus. 

This is another example of God’s plan always being the only plan that really matters.  Joseph was considered a righteous man throughout his life.  His plan to leave Mary quietly was what he thought was the best way to handle her pregnancy. Yet, God knew better. So Joseph being instructed to name the child Jesus was part of the prophecy.  Joseph naming the child is why Jesus is a  descendant of David.  I’m sure Joseph didn’t understand what was really going on but, being a righteous man he did what he was told.   He stuck to the plan.  It wasn’t his plan  but he had faith. 

I will tell you, this is one of my challenges as a follower.  I struggle with being redirected from my plan and  having to accept God’s plan.   In the past, I’d say anything that went  wrong in my life wasn’t Gods plan. Instead of assuming God had a role in the situation  I’d think that it was me trying to force my will into a situation. Maybe I messed  something up and let God down.  As I grow a little older I am starting to understand that trusting God in the good times and bad times when things don’t go as planned is part of God’s  plan.  Knowing that even though things may not look exactly how you expected, trusting God is always a much safer bet than trusting yourself.   When things don’t go as planned maybe that Gods way of redirecting us?? Joseph definitely didn’t expect to find out that Mary was pregnant but he was a believer. He did trust the lord. He trusted that God was going to be with him. All he needed to do was follow.  What a message! It’s so easy to get caught up in what you consider to be the best decisions for you and your family. Yet, when we get redirected by God what’s our initial reaction?   We lose our cool. We get frustrated. We get worried.  I do it. I have moments when I forget that the only plan for me is the one that God has. The outcomes may not always be what is expected  by me but, it is what God wants. The lesson here is we can  all chose to be a little like Joseph.  Trusting, full of faith and, we can chose to abandon our plans  if needed, knowing that Gods plan is The plan.