You probably have one of those Christmas cards with the sweet scene of Mary on a donkey and Joseph by her side, with the Christmas star shining down brightly as they walk to Bethlehem. It’s a pretty scene.

My mind, though, quickly returns to the reality of those days. An oppressive government forced people to go to their hometowns to be counted so they could be taxed. Mary and Joseph had to trek the ninety miles from Nazareth to the city of David, Bethlehem. Mary was pregnant and rode that donkey for almost a week.

Now, I’ve ridden a donkey a time or two. It was not a pleasant experience. I can’t imagine what Mary was going through on that journey.

I wonder…did Joseph ponder about all that was happening in his life? His betrothed carrying a child that wasn’t his. Now, having to travel with her all that way. I wonder…did Mary think of the hardship she was enduring and contrast it with her beautiful praise a few months before?

Oh, how my soul praises the Lord.
How my spirit rejoices in God my Savior!
For he took notice of his lowly servant girl,
and from now on all generations will call me blessed.

Luke 1:46-48 NLT

Then, finally arriving in Bethlehem, to find all the rooms were taken, and the most important birth in all of history relegated to a smelly animal cave as the birthplace of God’s son. It was probably not what Joseph and Mary had expected.

It is not unusual for our high expectations to be dramatically changed and for roadblocks and hardships to replace our vision of how things should be. Does that mean we are off track spiritually? Does it mean we are out of God’s will?

Joni Eareckson Tada, whose life took a dramatic turn when at age seventeen she broke her neck in a diving accident, certainly faced overwhelming challenges. She has lived for almost sixty years as a quadriplegic. Out of God’s will?

Joni points to Mary and Joseph as illustrations that hardships don’t necessarily mean we have strayed from God’s will for our lives. These two were absolutely in God’s will, part of the fulfillment of prophecy for the birth of our Savior, Jesus. Yet they faced challenge after challenge.

The Lord Himself explained such hardships in the Christian life.

Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.

John 16:33 NLT

These holiday times can be especially difficult. Our expectations for family gatherings may not go as we had hoped, and we may experience multiple disappointments. Hardships and challenges can take many forms and be catastrophic. Jesus, whose life was filled with trouble from the earliest days, tells us to take heart and be encouraged. He has overcome the world.

And that is, indeed, Good News.

From all of us at MEDIA Alliance International, Merry Christmas. May the Lord Jesus bring you hope and joy as you put your trust in Him.

For Jesus is…God’s best,