Dear Friends:

Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly. But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet: “Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel,” which means, “God is with us.” When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife, but had no marital relations with her until she had borne a son; and he named him Jesus (Matt 1:18-25).

Sometimes there are no good choices to be made. This is one of those times.

The facts are that Mary is pregnant and Joseph is not the father.

Joseph can have Mary exposed as an adulteress. That will mean more than a public disgrace. It will likely mean her death as the law prescribes stoning for adultery (Lev 20:10; Deut 22:23-24).

Joseph can divorce her discreetly. Divorce is easily initiated under the law by a husband or fiance’ to end a marriage or an engagement. (Deut 24:1) There is no question that there are valid grounds for a divorce.

Joseph is a “good” man, so he makes the fairest choice that he can for the two of them–a quiet, no-fuss divorce.

He’s made up his mind and turns in for the night.

In the darkness, out of the formless void of sleep, the Creator presents a third option–“Marry her.” That possibility had never occurred to Joseph. You might say that, “It was out of the question.”

The angelic messenger gives Joseph a promise, a scripture and an interpretation to back it up. This situation that seems so wrong, so hopeless, is from God.

He is doing something fresh, not a repair.  “‘Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel,’which means, ‘God is with us.'”

What appeared to be the end is really the beginning. Joseph awakens and obeys. His dream comes true in the reality of Jesus.

You have your own situation, of course. We all do.

You have the options that you are considering.

“Look,” the prophet said. “Look,” the angel repeated. There is something more. . . something that you haven’t thought about. . . something from God.

I’m no angel, but here’s a suggestion of where to look for another option, with a promise and a scripture to back it up–stop looking at the situation, stop looking at what’s expected and what’s required, and look for God who may be found in the direction of love. Who knows? You may not even have dreamed your dream yet.

What no eye has seen,

nor ear heard

nor the human heart conceived,

what God has prepared

for those who love Him.

(2 Cor 2:9)

“O taste and see that the Lord is good. Happy are those who take refuge in him (Ps 34:8).
Under the mercy of Christ,

Kent

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Please note that the content and viewpoints of Mr. Hansen are his own and are not necessarily those of the C.S. Lewis Foundation. We have not edited his writing in any substantial way and have permission from him to post his content.

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Kent Hansen is a Christian attorney, author and speaker. He practices corporate law and is the managing attorney of the firm of Clayson, Mann, Yaeger & Hansen in Corona, California. Kent also serves as the general counsel of Loma Linda University and Medical Center in Loma Linda, California.

Finding God’s grace revealed in the ordinary experiences of life, spiritual renewal in Christ and prayer are Kent’s passions. He has written two books, Grace at 30,000 Feet and Other Unexpected Places published by Review & Herald in 2002 and Cleansing Fire, Healing Streams: Experiencing God’s Love Through Prayer, published by Pacific Press in spring 2007. Many of his stories and essays about God’s encompassing love have been published in magazines and journals. Kent is often found on the hiking trails of the southern California mountains, following major league baseball, playing the piano or writing his weekly email devotional, “A Word of Grace for Your Monday” that is read by men and women from Alaska to Zimbabwe.

Kent and his beloved Patricia are enjoying their 31st year of marriage. They are the proud parents of Andrew, a college student.