At church this week, our minister’s after-Christmas message, spoke of the young couple (Mary and Joseph) with their baby, fleeing the country and heading to Egypt. I had never given much thought to the courage this must have taken and the fear that invaded their world. Bethlehem was no longer a haven as is portrayed in “Oh, little town of Bethlehem”. It was about to suffer the murder of dozens of little boys. My heart aches for those mothers. I have never lost a child and can only imagine the agony…especially under these horrendous circumstances.
But I can relate to Mary and Joseph for years ago we did a similar thing. We were not being threatened by Herod, we were being threatened by financial disaster. We had barely moved into a new house before it was lost to us and gathering up our two little girls we put our belongings In the back of the truck and headed to the Peace River County.
Our first two years there were much like Mary and Joseph’s…not easy. We were in a strange place with people we didn’t know. We had few skills and no money and we were from the ‘Big City ‘and therefore much misunderstood and not always accepted. Some small towns are like that. But there was kindness there too and when I bought a small doll for each of my girls one Christmas, a kind friend made them little cradles.
Today I thought about Mary and Joseph and Jesus, growing up in a foreign land, probably as refugees. I wonder if Mary felt as lost as I did at times and if she wondered as I did, if things would ever improve.
I look back on those years and thank God for never failing us. There was always enough food to eat, and little friends nearby for our girls to play with. They had no idea how difficult the times were. They were loved and fed and that is what was important to them. I doubt if they recall those years at all. I wonder if Jesus remembered anything of those refugee years. I am sure Mary and Joseph did. And of course they too had their faith to wrap around them when things were rough and they found God was gracious and merciful.
Much as God had a plan for Jesus, he had a plan for us…we survived, we went south, found work and a fantastic future. Fifty years later I am still here, trying to discern and fulfill His will for me and every day being thankful for His tender, loving care throughout all these years.
Photo by Barta IV via Flickr/CC
