Numbers 24:1-25:18
Luke 2:1-35
Psalm 59:1-17
Proverbs 11:14
Today's NT reading reminded me that Mary and Joseph were far from home when Jesus was born. This leads me to wonder: what must Mary and Joseph have been like on this unexpected and untimely trip? Were they worried about Mary exerting herself, about finding the help they needed for the delivery? Were they frustrated, perhaps even angry that Caesar issued that decree at that time? Did they grumble on the way to Bethlehem, the way the Israelites did in the desert?
The reason I ask is I grumble. A LOT. I grumble about everything, from the trivial (slow driver ahead of me when driving to catch the morning train) to the significant (finding out years ago neck surgery was required). I do it a lot, whenever things aren't going the way I want them to. When they aren't perfect the way I want them to be.
What I really should be grumbling about is my willful pigheadedness, the persistent delusion I have that I know what "perfect" is. Because the fact of the matter is, from man's standpoint, the circumstances of His birth were only the first thing Jesus would have had to grumble about. He could have grumbled about the thickheadedness of His disciples, the betrayal of Jesus, the cowardice of Peter, and the unjustness of His agonizing death. None of this would have made sense from a human standpoint back then, but hindsight tells us all these circumstances weren't just necessary, they were perfect - perfect for the purpose of reuniting us with the Father.
So Lord, let me take a moment to apologize for pretending I know better than You what perfect is, and grumbling about the perfect circumstances You have chosen for me. When I face things I don't understand, give me instead the wisdom to do as Mary did, who "treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart."
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