Walking on Egg Shells

I got stuck on I-95 about a week and a half ago. That was a lot of fun. It seems there was an incident/accident involving a crane, which jammed up traffic and turned a section of the infamous highway into a parking lot. I know because I was there for what seemed like days—okay it was not even hours. But in the middle of it, I called Rhonda and told her that I was about to scratch my eyeballs out because I was so frustrated. You cannot imagine how hard it was for me to keep my cool and stay calm. I thought to myself: Here I am doing the Lord’s work, visiting a parishioner in the hospital having a serious surgery the next day, and this happens. You would think the Lord would put a hedge of protection around His servants doing His bidding… (I thought). Not my finest hour as a Christian! But there I was stuck in traffic! I have moved on beyond it—well, perhaps not, since I am still complaining about it. Nevertheless, this undesirable experience caused me to notice a news story that I-95 had another elongated traffic jam again this week.

The news story said a Ford Edge SUV cut in front of a tractor-trailer driving down I-95, causing the driver to swerve to avoid a crash into the Ford Edge, and resulted in losing control of his semi and overturning on the highway. The crash closed all southbound lanes for about two hours. Both drivers sustained non-threatening injuries, but the cargo was not so lucky. The overturned semi was hauling a full load of eggs. Yeah, eggs! I suppose you could say this crash on I-95, and the accompanying long wait, caused all involved to be walking on eggshells for awhile.

Life can be like that for us all, I suppose. It was certainly true for Joseph and Mary on that first Christmas. The whole experience must have seemed to them both precarious and dangerous, to say the least. Think about it. Mary is great with child—our Lord and Savior—when Joseph tells her they have to travel 90 miles to the town of Joseph’s ancestors, with Mary riding a donkey, to register because the Federal government, in all its wisdom, was calling for a census. So they travelled south across the flatlands along the Jordan River, then west over the hills surrounding Jerusalem and onto the town of Bethlehem.

When they finally arrived, there were no hotel accommodations available. Remember: No room in the inn! So they settled for a barn filled with livestock to enjoy the first nativity scene. Finally, the topper, they discovered that the King was trying to kill their precious newborn! And you thought you had problems!

I’m pretty sure that Joseph and Mary were walking on eggshells, at times, as they tried to calm their nerves and keep their cool in this whole challenging ordeal. After all, they were only human—and they were caring for the divine-human Son of God. I would have been nervous—how about you?

The thing is—Mary and Joseph trusted in the Lord to help them and lead them. Guess what? The Heavenly Father protected them and provided for them. Thus, today we think about the whole experience of theirs with joy and celebration. This reflection is usually our happiest time of the year. This shows that no matter how difficult life may seem and how nervous we may get—it’s going to be okay as long as we are trusting in the Lord and following His ways. One day we will celebrate God’s goodness and testify joyfully to His faithfulness. So if you feel like you are walking on eggshells today—try to relax; it’s going to be alright! And that’s no yoke! :)

Devotedly yours,
Pastor Ron