This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.
It was not intentional that she didn't say anything to him as he walked out the door. This was not his fault, she knew that. The words just weren't coming to mind. She was unaware of her shallow breathing, her body the only part of her still grasping for life. She stood at the kitchen counter, frozen in her motivation- whatever it was. Did she come in here for juice? To put the cereal away? She couldn't remember. All she could think of was the hole inside of her now emptied of the purpose that recently wakened her spirit.
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."
She realized she should have gone with him. She always had everyday before this one. Some sensible thought tried breaking through the intense sadness covering her. Shouldn't she be counting her blessings? She turned to the fridge to get the juice.
All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel"—which means, "God with us."
The phone startled her. She faltered for a moment over cleaning the droplets of juice or picking up the phone. She grabbed a paper towel as she made her way to the telephone and held on to the receiver. "I know what you're doing," she heard her friend say. "How could you know?" she answered while wiping the counter. "I know how you get when you're upset. Look, it's not that I'm not sorry that this has happened to you, but it happens, and it could be worse." "Don't tempt Gd, looking at how things could be worse." "Fine... you are still pretty lucky."
When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.
The door opened and she hung up. Her husband had returned home with their son after retrieving him from school. At the sight of her little boy, oxygen filled her lungs. The sadness seemed to shrink moderately to disappointment. Her only child's eyes shone with that most innocent of loves... the kind that knows nothing of the potential for mistrust, jealousy, or loss. All he knows is this overwhelming warmth and security. She wanted to bury her face in his blissful ignorance. She came to her knees, held out her arms, and the boy ran into her with laughter. As she held him, her husband placed his large palm on the back of her skull which seemed to remind her to think about spaces within her that were still filled.
(Verses taken from Matthew 18-25, KJV)
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