12.10.23 - Lead Pastor Bryce Gernand
Questions for Reflection
When we feel stressed, angry, hurt, worn-out, or just plain up against it, we have a greater tendency to react impulsively. Something sends us into fight-or-flight mode. Our perceptions of the situation are altered. The emotional charge prevents us from seeing the situation for what it is, and we react. When do you tend to react disproportionately to life’s events?
When Joseph heard of Mary’s pregnancy, he planned to divorce her quietly. Then we read a line that is oh-so-important, “But after he had considered this (as he considered these things, while he thought on these things, while he was contemplating this step)…” (Matthew 1:20) What makes this verse a game-changer for Joseph’s involvement in the whole birth narrative?
There is a subtle but paramount difference between reacting and responding. It has been said that between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. As people of faith, in that space God is offered room to move. In our response lies our growth and our freedom. When we simply react, that space is removed. Where do you need to create space between stimulus and response in your life? Where do you need to make space for God to move?
Key Verse(s)
“But after he had considered this…” Matthew 1:20
“When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son.
And he gave him the name Jesus.” Matthew 1:24-25