He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. — Luke 2:5
I have a question for you: Did Mary need to make the trip? Were they officially married? Could she have stayed home with her parents? Or, now that she was pregnant, did she get kicked out of her home? What kind of rejection did she put up with? Was Joseph the only one who would take her in? They didn’t seem to be in any hurry to return to Nazareth — it looks like they spent the next two years in Bethlehem and then they took off to Egypt.
Here’s the point. Look around you. You and I never know what kind of struggles other people are wrestling with. How many people around us are putting on a brave face, but inside are in turmoil?
May the God who has accepted us grant us the heart we need to accept others around us, even the "fringe" people whose eccentricities may make us feel uncomfortable. And rejoice with me! God knows all about us, and yet He calls us family.
I’m glad you are part of our family, my brothers and sisters!
Be encouraged!
Dwight
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Visit DwightClough.com for more information. Dwight and his wife Kim are active members of Lake City Church in Madison.