“As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. (Matthew 1:20 NLT)
Joseph doesn’t get much recognition for his role in the life of Jesus. He is engaged to Mary when she gets pregnant--and Joseph knows it isn’t his baby. Like any guy in this situation, I’m sure he is humiliated, heartbroken, and angry. Understandably, he wants to break up and move on. Yet, he obeys the message that he receives in a dream. He takes the pregnant Mary as his wife. I wonder if he felt like an idiot. I’m sure others berated him for his stupidity and naivete.
I often feel like an idiot--especially when I’m following directions that I think are from God. Spirit-conceived ideas often make very little sense compared to humanly-constructed ideas. It is difficult to keep going when you look and feel stupid. I am frequently tempted to follow my own wisdom rather than look like a fool for Christ.
Now, there are many people who do stupid things in the name of God, but their intentions are merely to further their own agenda. They convince themselves that they are doing what they are doing because of their dedication to God. Distinguishing between Truth and half-truths requires spiritual wisdom and discipline. Or else, we may end up “obediently” going in the wrong direction.
If you do things that make you feel like an idiot in the name of the Lord, then perhaps you need to ask the Lord how to go about doing what your are feeling/hearing in a way that you don't feel this way. Ask for guidance because God did not put you, His Child, here to feel berated. He loves you too much.
ReplyDeleteThat is something to think about. Good point, Laura.
Delete