As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. “Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”
Matthew‬ ‭1‬:‭20-21‬ NLT

As Joseph is figuring out how best to deal with the fact that his fiancée is pregnant (and not by him), God breaks into his story. An Angel appears to tell him that the child is no ordinary baby, that Joseph must name him Jesus because he will save his people. And this news blows apart Joseph’s recently constructed plan to break the engagement quietly.

That’s what happens when God breaks into your story. Whatever you’d figured out, whatever you’d planned, whatever you thought you knew would happen, flies out the window.

But as surprising and paradigm-shaking as this news must have been, I don’t think Joseph grieved the loss of his plans. Because the reality has always been that God’s plans are always so much better than ours.

Joseph’s plan was to quietly release the woman he loved…to abandon her and the child that was not his. To do so as gently as he could, but to leave them nonetheless.

God’s plan was that Joseph would father the child of eternity who would grow up to save the world.

Joseph chose wisely. He chose God’s plan – bewildering as it must have been to him.

This Advent, may you know that God’s plans really are the best laid plans – no matter how they may surprise us when they are revealed – and that choosing His plans is choosing wisely.