Joe's Jam

Joe is my cousin.

We tell the story of his journey quite frequently in our family.

It was awful. He was in a terrible jam.

Joe had planned his future so carefully.

A quiet guy, he had approached his family and hers and asked for her hand.

It was granted happily and formally, and he had made copious promises to treat her well, and remain pure until the time of their formal wedding.

And now this.

She is pregnant....and beginning to show.

And she vows that she has not had intimate relationships with anyone. But she is only 13, so who knows what the real story is.

And they haven't been intimate together...he knows that for sure.

It is all so angering, confusing....and sad.

And no one believes either of them, no matter what they say..

Every time they are with people, there are the stares...and the whispers.

And his folks have given him stern words and wept with disappointment.

And now there is awkward distance.

He has considered his options:

Option 1. Protect himself - and get rid of her for good - and do it publicly to clear his name.

Option 2. Protect her and himself a little bit. Divorce her privately...that way it is a little bit of win for them both.

Option 3. Protect her totally. Believe her. Accept the cannot possibly be true...pregnant without intercourse. Go ahead and marry her - bearing with the public words and family reactions as they come. And have a birth and childhood that is so much less than desired.

And having thought of it over and over in the night, he decided to go with Option 2 - divorce her privately....and save what could be rescued of the situation for them both.

And that's when something incredible happened. God spoke to him so clearly that he could not doubt it and told him he was choosing the wrong option out of fear and disbelief.
God told him to exercise Option 3 - marry her publicly, protect her and trust God.

He did...
the child went full term and was born
and shortly thereafter they left to live for some time in Egypt.

And nothing too much was heard of Joe again.

It is believed in the family that he died early.

Selah

So Joe lived in a jam....and Jesus was born.

And what He did with His life, has forever changed the world.

Merry Christmas.

And thank you Joseph.
Because of you (too) I get to be in God's Family (with you).

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

David.

(For more of the story, read Matthew 1 & 2)