I thought of those words as I watched a store employee react less than professional. He was cursing and throwing up his hands while other employees looked on, shocked at his behavior. My first thought was “What was going on in his life to make him so miserable?”

For some reason I thought of Joseph. I thought about his response to the angel about Mary’s pregnancy, how his behavior could have been, and how different the story would have been if Joseph’s inner thoughts and concerns were reflected on the outside.

His inner turmoil was somewhat altered when an angel tells him the child would be the Son of God. But how different the whole story could have been had Joseph not been fully connected to his God from the beginning.

While Joseph’s inner thoughts were confused, he pressed on because he loved Mary, he trusted His God and surely his turmoil became an attitude of worship and awe.

Joseph is just one of so many moving parts in the story of the birth of Jesus…so many pieces that were woven into the greatest story ever told. And all because he didn’t allow his fear and concern, his inner attitude, to govern the way he treated the woman he loved. How blessed we are to have such persons in our lineage to admire and honor.

And as the rest of the story unfolds, we would do well to remember: We have a God who does all things for our good!