Listen

This is how the birth of Jesus Christ took place. When Mary his mother was engaged to Joseph, before they were married, she became pregnant by the Holy Spirit. Joseph her husband was a righteous man. Because he didn’t want to humiliate her, he decided to call off their engagement quietly. As he was thinking about this, an angel from the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, don’t be afraid to take Mary as your wife, because the child she carries was conceived by the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you will call him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

Matthew 1:18-21

Think

Flexibility. So many of us think we are so flexible: willing to go with the flow, let the wind take us away, footloose and fancy free – whatever that means. But the thing is, we (all of us) really are creatures of comfort. We think we’re flexible until we become uncomfortable. Discomfort is not a value we hold dearly, but really, we should.

The whole of our scriptures is filled with story upon story of disruption and discomfort that moves people toward transformation. That’s precisely how humans learn to better understand themselves and those around them – through discomfort.

Joseph leaned into some pretty deep discomfort. He was faithful, even though what he thought his life was going to look like took a real sharp turn. On top of being uncomfortable he also was being called to move through this discomfort with Mary, who clearly was also going through major disruption. The result is at the heart of how God broke through to be with us.

So, as you consider how you might lean into whatever discomfort comes you way… remember: love is waiting on the other side.

Amy Kim Kyremes-Parks

Pray

God who disrupts us and calls me into uncomfortable spaces, help me to lean into discomfort and seek guidance.

Help me to recognize when I limit the possibilities and choose comfort over transformation.

Help me to grow in love through your holy disruptions in my life.

Amen.

Go

Take a breath, keep showing up with your whole self – this will allow others to do the same.

May we all live into our holy whole selves!