It’s two weeks until Christmas.
If that sent your heart racing a little, take a breath with me.
Just for a moment, slip your “to-do” list off your shoulders.
What if this Christmas held a kind of wonder you haven’t tasted in a long time?
What if pausing brought more peace than pushing?
How might doing less open the door to more joy?
Joseph didn’t get a peaceful Christmas season. He received a legal command from Rome that upended everything. It wasn’t convenient or part of his plan. Yet that unexpected disruption became the doorway for Joseph to observe God’s breathtaking attention to detail.
Let’s step into the story.
About that time Caesar Augustus ordered a census to be taken throughout the Empire. This was the first census when Quirinius was governor of Syria. Everyone had to travel to his own ancestral hometown to be accounted for. So Joseph went from the Galilean town of Nazareth up to Bethlehem in Judah, David’s town, for the census. As a descendant of David, he had to go there. He went with Mary, his fiancée, who was pregnant.
The journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem was roughly 80 miles. On foot, with Mary in her third trimester, it likely took about six long days. Even with a donkey, if they had one, the discomfort must have been intense.
Imagine the conversations with their families, the tension, the worry, “Maybe Mary shouldn’t go with you. It’s too difficult a journey for her right now.”
According to Jewish custom at that time, Mary was already considered Joseph’s wife once their marriage contract was sealed. Legally and spiritually, their lives were bound. Staying behind wasn’t an option. They traveled together into the unknown.
And woven through it all was a prophecy:
“But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah,
are only a small village among all the people of Judah.
Yet a ruler of Israel,
whose origins are in the distant past,
will come from you on my behalf.”
Bethlehem wasn’t convenient, comfortable, or even home. But Bethlehem was exactly where God planned to fulfill His promise. The details mattered.
Maybe your Christmas season feels a bit like that—uncomfortable, overwhelming, no peace after discovering his betrayal.
Maybe when you look back over this year, you see strain where you longed for ease. Obstacles that never lifted. Prayers you’re still waiting to see answered. And perhaps the deepest wound of all: betrayal by the one who promised to love you.
You may wonder why God allowed this. What purpose could come from any of it? Where He’s been in the middle of the ache.
Dear one, God cares about the details of your life.
Psalm 120:1 encourages, “I took my troubles to the Lord; I cried out to him, and he answered my prayer.”
What feels like an obstacle may actually be his preservation. What feels like chaos may be the very place where he is quietly working out every circumstance to fulfill his promise to you. Bring every struggle to Jesus, whose birth we celebrate during this season and whose heart sees every part of yours.
Dear one, you are not forgotten. Read Deuteronomy 31:6 and put your name and struggle in the verse:
“So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the Lord your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you.”
This Christmas, let your heart wander toward wonder.
Where are you hurting?
Where are you overwhelmed?
In what areas do you feel the disruption pressing in?
Look for God’s fingerprints there.
Lean into God’s strength to discover peace after betrayal.
Joseph and Mary didn’t orchestrate the miracles surrounding Jesus’ birth. They simply obeyed Rome’s order. How could they have seen what God was doing? They thought they were responding to Rome, yet God was moving every detail into place.
After an exhausting journey, they watched God provide, protect, and fulfill ancient promises. Their obedience placed them in the very center of God’s wonder. The Messiah—Jesus—was born.
The angels announced his birth. And the course of history changed forever.
So this Christmas, turn your tired heart toward the God of wonders who is still orchestrating every detail of your life with love.
Talk to Him about your worries. Tell Him where you feel buried. Embrace God’s wonder. Ask Him to help you see what He’s doing. Bow your heart in worship as you celebrate Jesus this Christmas season.
And then watch for God to work on your behalf in every situation.
Jesus came to bring peace on earth and in your life. Even in your “to-do” list. My prayer for you this season is to make room every day to see God’s miracles.