More Thoughts about Joseph

Nobody thinks much about Joseph except at Christmastime. And then he's just kind of there.

We don't know much about Joseph. There aren't really even many apocryphal stories about him. It is assumed that he died sometime before Jesus' public ministry. As I thought about Joseph today I realized that added to his other human sufferings, Jesus also experienced losing a beloved parent as a young man.

I think of Joseph as a man who preferred to be in the background, taking care of his family without a lot of fanfare. It reminded me of my late husband, Loren. He just did what needed to be done. I took him for granted in the way we all take our loved ones for granted. But I really don't think he minded. Some people are like that. They just do what needs to be done, whether or not you appreciate them. They don't do it for thanks or appreciation. They do it because it needs to be done. God needed Joseph to be an earthly father to Jesus and so he was.

Today I thank God for the Josephs and Lorens in this world.