On Christmas Day many will receive gifts and will be excited to get them. However, the person receiving the gift does not know what the giver went through for them. The giver will not discuss the struggles because they knew the person needed the gift. When the person receives the gift with excitement, it puts a smile on the face of the giver. Why, because they understand the struggles they went through were worth it. Did you ever think about how God feels when you accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior? You know the angels in Heaven rejoice when someone accepts Christ, but did it ever occur to you this causes God to smile. He went to great length to provide us with the gift that would open the door for us to receive eternal life.
In Luke 2:1-7, we have the story of Joseph and Mary and what they went through for the birth of the Savior of the world. When Mary embraced and realized what God was calling her to do, she stated in Luke 1:48, “surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed.” She made this statement because she knew the gift in her womb would change many lives on this earth. However, in these verses in Luke 2, she was not feeling blessed. You have to remember being blessed does not dismiss struggles. Knowing you are blessed will cause you to press on in spite of the struggles because you firmly believe the Lord will work it out. This is the challenge for Joseph and Mary because they both knew what they were called to do. Their struggles were not going to be a deterrent or stop them from moving forward. The first struggle was having to travel roughly 80 miles during a time in her pregnancy, when they should have been at home preparing for the arrival of baby Jesus. The second struggle was not having a room at the inn. They had to settle in a place where the animals were, hoping she would not go into labor before being in a room. However, that didn’t happen. She went into labor while they were there, and I know it had to be a struggle. Through all their struggles, they continued to do whatever was needed because giving up was not an option.
Was it exciting to answer the calling on your life? It probably was. But what you didn’t know were the struggles that were going to occur along the way. Now you have to decide how to view these struggles. If you see them as obstacles, they will cause you to give up because you have taken your attention from the Lord. When you see them as an opportunity for your spiritual growth, then you continue to move forward in faith. By trusting and believing in the Lord, it will all work for His good, because He is guiding you every step of the way. So, giving up is not an option. Continue to walk in your blessings!
