HOUSE OF ROBERTS BLOG

Around Christmas time, we all hear the story of Jesus being born a lot. In that story there are some pretty compelling characters, but there is one that is very key to the story and who at times I think flies under the radar a bit. That person would be my man, Joseph, the father of Jesus. As a father, I appreciate this man’s role in his home and in the grand picture of God’s plan. I think we as dads can learn a lot from Joseph; so may I give you a few observations from his life that I think if we apply to our own will help us lead our families well. 

Joseph responded well to adversity. Upon hearing that Mary was pregnant, and not with his child by the way, it says this about Joseph in Matthew 1:19, “Joseph, to whom she was engaged, was a righteous man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement quietly.” I don’t know how you wrap your mind around your fiancé telling you that she is pregnant by God, but you can tell a lot about a man when he is faced with adversity. How Joseph responded is how I want to respond when life throws a hard moment your way, with honor and integrity. Dad, life won’t always be easy or fair so may we be righteous men like Joseph and respond well.

Joseph obeyed God immediately when he spoke to him. At one point in the account of Jesus being born, Joseph has his own moment with God and He is instructed to do something that will not make sense to those around him. In fact, it will actually bring criticism and judgment from friends and family. With that said, I love what how Matthew 2:24 records Joseph’s response to an angel telling him what to do. It says, “When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife.” When God spoke, Joseph obeyed right away. That’s the type of man and father that I want to be. Dad, we are called to be men who when God speaks to us, we obey immediately and fully. Is obedience easy? No, but it is a muscle that if you continue to exercise will get stronger until you become as Joseph was.

Joseph didn’t let fear stop him from doing something new. Generally, us guys don’t like change, especially when you become a dad. There is so much chaos and crazy that goes on in a home when you have kids that dads tend to find solace in our routines and consistent patterns. Don’t get me wrong, routines are good and have a part to play in the development of who God wants us to become, but I have found that it is easy for those things to become ruts that are hard to get out of. So what happens then is it us dads that become resistant to any type of change, and the line is always, “Good luck convincing dad to do that…” Think of what God asked Joseph to do throughout his life. Multiple times, he is told to move after he has established a life for his family. He has to leave Bethlehem for Egypt, and eventually, he has to move his family from Egypt to Nazareth. That’s a lot of change for a guy, but Joseph does it. Dads, let’s be men who aren’t afraid to follow the Holy Spirit into the unknown, you never know where that will take you.

I like Joseph, he played a role in salvation coming to the world and what’s interesting is you don’t know how it ends for Joseph. There is no account of his death, but I don’t think that is the point. Joseph was a good dad and most importantly God trusted him. So much so that He gave Joseph His only son to watch over. I pray that you would live such a life that would provoke God to trust us more.