Since Christmas is over and all the decorations, gifts, songs, festivities are only a memory, we can get back to our schedule. It’s almost that we have to take our life back. Personally, I have been in self-imposed confinement for the last two weeks. I spent the Christmas week with the immediate family indoors as the temperatures hovered between -30C – 40C daily. The second week, I had the flu and stayed indoors.
The Wise Men Warned To Take a Different Route
I started thinking about the wise men and Joseph and Mary who had left their home in Nazareth and travelled to Bethlehem. When the young couple arrived, they stayed at the stable since all guest rooms were full.
After the birth of Jesus, they were ready to go home. But before they could leave, the wise men arrived with their gifts. They did not know that Herod had told them to bring back word to him so he could find Jesus. But God warned the wise men in a dream to take a different route home. Because of this warning dream, the child lived.
Joseph warned to take a different route
Joseph also received a dream warning him to take a different route to Egypt and not return to Nazareth, for Herod was still in power and wanted to kill baby Jesus. The young family moved to a new culture again and did not know how long they would have to live in hiding.
A few years later, the danger was over with Herod’s death.
Again, Joseph received word in a dream that it was time to return to Nazareth, but settle in a different region.
God had used dreams of warning in order for Jesus to grow up, and live until his death on the cross. The parents experienced many changes and different routes in order to keep their family safe. The motivation behind all of this was to fulfil the prophecy concerning Jesus as the Savior of the world.
A Different Approach
Sometimes we, as parents and grandparents, need to take a different approach to protect our family from danger or negative consequences. Four things we can do to guide our children and grandchildren through difficult times:
1. Be a role model in faith and actions.
2. Bless your children with words and not curse them.
3. Be there and never give up, no matter what the circumstances.
4. Entrust them to the care of God.
It cost Mary and Joseph to be obedient: friendships, jobs, the closeness of their own mother and father, culture, housing, etc. Shame and insecure feelings complicated things. The fear of revealing their secret identity had to be constant in their minds while they lived in Egypt. What if Herod’s people discover them? It was not a peaceful life in a strange country, but they had to keep their son safe until the appointed time.
What about you? Do you complain when you cannot follow your own way? If you had to settle in a strange country where language and customs were different, how would you react? How can you keep your children safe in our troubled world?
Hello! We missed you at Women 2 Women Wed. a.m. But heard you were sick – so glad
you’re feeling better now. Your story reminds me of one time I was coming home from the North end and it was late, I was tired. I was stopped for a red light and had my signal on to turn right onto the highway. I kept getting the thought – “go through town”. I thought it was just me. Again I got those words – but kept thinking I’m so tired & the highway is so much faster. The 3rd time I heard those words I decided to cancel my turn signal and go straight through town. I never did hear of any accident or anything that night, but I feel God was warning me about something. That time I obeyed – I hope to be obedient to His still small voice all the time. Thanks!
Blessings from Sandy
Thanks for sharing your experience. It just reminds us that we need to be obedient to the promptings of our spirit. Even if we don’t know if there was danger or delays as a result of the change of direction, it doesn’t hurt us in any way. It’s all part of living our life tuned in.