Today, I #GiveThanks for Mother Mary and Father Joseph. Where would our Savior have been without such good earthly parents to look after Him?
I find Mary especially remarkable. In those days, a girl could be married as soon as twelve (a boy was considered a man at thirteen) so she was surely no older than the Young Women in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and her pregnancy was a lot more unique, to say the least.
That had to be quite daunting. If not for the rigid standards of her culture (she could have been executed for having a child before she was even married), the sheer idea of becoming the earthly vessel for the Son of God Himself must have been truly overwhelming, requiring no small amount of faith on her part.
Such a brave, beautiful woman.
Joseph is no less amazing in his own way. He showed incredible devotion toward Mary as well as God, and no doubt he was as good a paternal figure as any you could find.
Technically, he was Jesus's stepfather, so he serves as the perfect example that stepparents deserve a lot more credit than they get. And he still got to have plenty of other children with Mary; it's estimated that Jesus had at least seven biological siblings, and the book of James in the Bible was actually written by Jesus's brother James, rather than the Apostle James.
What a family that must have been.
Most importantly, Jesus lived the commandment, "Honor thy father and thy mother," to the full extent. In the few passages in which we read about His interaction with His mother, He treated her like nothing if not a queen. Because this was an age in which people did not honor their parents like they should, Jesus's example shines all the brighter and lovelier.
So, once again, where would Jesus Christ be today if not for the brief but vital part Father Joseph and Mother Mary played?
They are my heroes, that's all I have left to say.
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