It's January 1st, 2021. A new year has arrived. Christians finished celebrating Christmas a week ago. As I prepare for a new year, 2021 does not immediately appear as though it will be any easier than 2020, which was perhaps the most difficult year of my life.
For my wife, Megan, and I, in 2020 we faced her mother's death, my father's terminal cancer diagnosis, having to resign from a church we loved, a cross-country move, and a career change. One important truth that has helped us immensely through a difficult year is this: there is a big difference between right and easy. In fact, many times to live in the center of God's will is just a different kind of hard. For much of life, one must choose which hard to face.
This truth is seen clearly in the life of Joseph, the man chosen by God to serve as the earthly father for Jesus. Four times Joseph is guided personally by God in dreams. Four times Joseph fulfills prophecy from God with his obedience. Four times of subjective guidance and four times of objective guidance come to Joseph. Here was a man who lived obedient to God's objective and subjective will. He followed God, even when the guidance was odd or difficult.
First, an angel told Joseph to marry Mary, though Mary was pregnant by someone not Joseph. And, the angel explained this miraculous pregnancy fulfilled Isaiah's prophecy about a virgin birth (Matthew 1:18-25).
Second, an angel warned Joseph to flee to Egypt and so avoid Herod's wrath. Jesus living in Egypt fulfilled Hosea's prophecy (Matthew 2:13-15).
Third, Herod's wrath was vent against the children of Bethlehem, fulfilling Jeremiah's prophecy of Rachel weeping for her children. Meanwhile, an angel told Joseph to return to Israel after Herod's death (Matthew 2:16-20).
Fourth, when Joseph returned to Israel, Herod's son was ruling over Judea. An angel warned him to go to Galilee, and Joseph settled his family in Nazareth, fulfilling a prophecy about Jesus being a Nazarene (Matthew 2:21-23).
The mixture of Joseph obeying God's will revealed in dreams and fulfilling prophecy tells me that Joseph was a man of trust and obedience. He followed God. It also tells me that when seeking guidance from the Lord, I should never pit my sense of God's subjective guidance (Joseph's dreams) against God's objective guidance (Scripture).
But, what I want to focus on is that while Joseph obeyed God meticulously, his life was far from easy. Think about it. First, he obeys the angel and marries Mary. But, how do you think people in Nazareth responded when Joseph married a woman who was already pregnant? It was shameful. The shame followed Jesus the rest of his life, as is evident by the crowd's mockery after Jesus' preaching ("Isn't this Joseph's son?", Luke 4:22). So, Joseph's life was made harder, not easier by obeying the angel's words and God's guidance.
God was kind and sent his angel to warn Joseph to flee to Egypt, saving Joseph, Mary, and Jesus from Herod's wrath. But, no sooner had Joseph got his small family settled in Bethlehem when God moved them again to Egypt, a foreign country. Imagine the stress and difficulty of another move, another time of hunting for work. Obeying God no doubt impacted the family's bottom line, and added difficulty. What was right was not easy.
Just about the time Joseph likely was settling into Egypt, an angel again told him to return to Israel. Another move, another difficulty. Would they ever be settled? Would life ever be easy?
Finally, an angel warned Joseph away from living in Bethlehem, and told him to go to Galilee. The only place Joseph knew to go in the region of Galilee was back to Nazareth. While Joseph may have had property in Nazareth, this hometown was also the place where Joseph and Mary's scandal (so it was thought) was known and so likely the shame followed them home. Again, it would seem that obeying God's will was both right and hard for Joseph.
And that's the point. God never promises us that obeying him will make everything easy. In fact, just the opposite. Jesus told his disciples clearly, "In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world," (John 16:33).
So, I do take heart. Jesus rose from the dead, conquering sin and death. Jesus is seated at the Father's right hand, having been given all authority over the whole world. And, the man chosen to be Jesus's earthly father obeyed God and it made for a hard, but right and good life. As you face difficulty this year, even difficulties that linger from 2020, take heart. Life is hard. But by faith we can choose the right kind of hard. Let us choose the kind of hard that is obeying our Lord and Savior. Let us walk on earth while looking towards heaven. Choose your hard!
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