Mary was approximately 16 years old and pregnant. She was the intended wife for Joseph. She was the object of ridicule at snide remarks. Only she and Joseph were visited by Gabriel, the Archangel, who consoled him and gave them instructions. Because she was the center of mockery, when it came time for Joseph to travel to his town of origin for taxation purposes, he had no choice but to take her with him. Under no circumstances would he leave her behind to suffer the scorn of the community.
Keep in mind that Mary’s parents were not privy to the divine revelations. All they knew was that their daughter suddenly became pregnant. Certainly, they were told what happened and about the visit of the angel, but that was probably very difficult for them to accept. In a real sense of the word, other than Joseph, Mary was alone in the world. Then it came time for them to leave all that they knew behind so they could obey the decree of Caesar Augustus.
There was that one moment in which she and Joseph turned their back on Nazareth for their lives never to be the same again. They faced a time of uncertainty. The only thing that was sure in their minds was that God called them to a special mission unlike any other people in all of history. Mary would not have the consolation of her mother when she gave birth. There would be no celebration within the community for the birth of their firstborn.
Like Mary and Joseph, there are times in which we must turn our backs on the past and look toward the future that God has in store for us. We all would like to have everything written down in detail, but normal life is not like that let alone to people on a divine mission. The union they shared was intertwined with the respect and love they had for each other. They relied on each other and God. These were individually visited by Gabriel with different messages. Those messages were like two bookends that fit together telling the whole story.
God does not ask us to make major changes in our life just because he wants to see what happens. His purpose is for us, and for those that we will influence. There is an old saying that says we must leave so that we may arrive. If we hold too tightly without leaving, we can never arrive where God wants us. Too often we say that we would like to know God’s will. However, his will quite often comes in increments. In every case, we must be willing to take that first step of walking away from what was before we could arrive at our own separate Bethlehem.
Christian Writer 