Curveballs in life are inevitable. Unexpected surprises can level us or become opportunities to learn. The curveball thrown to Joseph when Mary told him about her “surprise” pregnancy certainly caught Joseph off guard, quite a curveball. But the story in Matthew 1 gives us 5 insights on how to respond when life throws you a curveball.
First, a bit of background. Matthew 1 tells us that Mary and Joseph were engaged to be married. Unlike engagements today, in New Testaments days when you got engaged it took a divorce to end the engagement. They were both young and looking forward to a long life together and then Mary dropped the bombshell. Not only was she pregnant, but she explained it to Joseph with a story about how the Holy Spirit brought it about, a double whammy for Joseph: his wife was pregnant and she made up some crazy story it was not because of involvement with a man…two curveballs.
Here’s what we can learn from Matthew’s account.
When life throws you a curveball…
- Don’t act on impulse by doing what first comes to your mind.
- In Joseph’s case probably the first thing that came to mind was the normal protocol for adultery in the time, a public divorce. But because he loved Mary, he didn’t want to publicly shame her and mar her chances to marry to a decent guy in the future. Impulse didn’t dictate his decision. Rather, his character did.
- Principle: Grounded people resist impulsivity. Grounded people resist impulsivity.CLICK TO TWEET
- Draw upon Christ-centered character.
- Verse 19 paints Joseph as a righteous man. That meant that he was a good man, a compassionate man, a man of character, a man faithful to God’s commands. Rather than acting on impulse, he acted upon his deeply imbedded values. He decided that a private divorce (much like a settlement out of court) would spare Mary from disgrace.
- Principle: Christ-formed beliefs should determine our behavior. Christ-formed beliefs should determine our behavior.CLICK TO TWEET
- Face, don’t deny your fear, worry, or anger.
- But before Joseph acted, an angel appeared to him in a dream and told him not to be afraid to take Mary home as his wife (v 20). The Gospels tell us that God spoke to Joseph four times through angels. God knew that Joseph felt fear so he spoke to Joseph about it. When curveballs hit us, it’s normal to feel anger, fear, anxiety, or worry. Our fight-flight-freeze centers in our brains automatically evoke feelings that we can’t avoid. But denying or stuffing them actually makes them more intense.
- Principle: We can’t avoid feelings but we can determine their expression. We can’t avoid feelings but we can determine their expression.CLICK TO TWEET
- Stand upon the bedrock fundamentals of your faith.
- Until I studied this passage deeply did I realize how it illustrates several core fundamentals of our faith. Focusing our attention on core doctrines gives us hope and confidence when a curveball hits us. Here are four fundamentals:
- The Holy Spirit dwells in us to, among other things, comfort us and give us wisdom to wisely respond (v 20).
- The virgin birth and the incarnation encourage us that our faith is based upon supernatural, life changing truth (v 23).
- Salvation in Christ alone reminds us that Jesus came to a crib to go to a cross to offer us forgiveness of sins (v. 21).
- Fulfilled prophecy provides evidence that Jesus was who He says He was (vss 22-23).
- Principle: Undeniable truth forms the bedrock for Christianity. Undeniable truth forms the bedrock for Christianity.CLICK TO TWEET
- Until I studied this passage deeply did I realize how it illustrates several core fundamentals of our faith. Focusing our attention on core doctrines gives us hope and confidence when a curveball hits us. Here are four fundamentals:
- Obey God’s promptings.
- After the dream Joseph obeyed God and took Mary as his wife. Just as God acted in unconventional ways to bring about Jesus’ conception in the womb of Mary, so sometimes we must obey in unconventional ways. Joseph did not take the expected path, divorce. Instead he went against the then current social morays to do the right thing by marrying Mary.
- Principle: Obedience to God may take you into uncharted territory. Obedience to God may take you into uncharted territory.CLICK TO TWEET
This Christmas if life throws you a curveball, look to the Story. You’ll find encouragement, hope, and direction.
What would you add to this list of responses to life’s curveballs?
