Day Two - Choosing Faith Over Fatigue

2 In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. ² (This was the first census that took place while^[a] Quirinius was governor of Syria.) ³ And everyone went to their own town to register.

⁴ So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. (NIV)

2 In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. ² This was the first registration when^[a] Quirinius was governor of Syria. ³ And all went to be registered, each to his own town. ⁴ And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, (ESV)

2 ^1-5 About that time Caesar Augustus ordered a census to be taken throughout the Empire. This was the first census when Quirinius was governor of Syria. Everyone had to travel to his own ancestral hometown to be accounted for. So Joseph went from the Galilean town of Nazareth up to Bethlehem in Judah, David’s town, for the census. As a descendant of David, he had to go there. He went with Mary, his fiancée, who was pregnant. (MSG)

How many of us can get tired over the holiday season? Baking, buying gifts, late night functions, long distance travel, hosting guests, struggling with the Christmas lights - the myriad of unique activities in the month of December can really take their toll!  The busyness associate with preparing for Christmas often contributes to a deep sense of fatigue that can rob us of our joy and even make us vulnerable to illness.

1. Joseph and his very pregnant wife had to travel from Nazareth to Bethlehem. On their journey to Bethlehem, Joseph and Mary covered a distance of over 80 miles.

Thought questions:

• How many days do you think they traveled? How many hours of walking/riding do you think it took them?  From Scout hiking experience, an arduous trip is about 20 miles a day or more. Pacing it, would be more like 15 miles per day.  that's 5 1/2 days. No horses really back then, so horseback is out. Camel travel was between 16-25 miles per day? Not sure they were camel owners though. (A carpenter) Let's assume possible donkey...  20 miles per day. Considering the pregnancy, 4 days to 6 days.  
• Physically and spiritually, how do you think they sustained themselves on this rigorous trip?  I would think they would be using dried cakes, dried fruit, and bagged wine. I wonder if they could buy food from vendors, or if it was a picnic lunch everyday. 
• Consider taking a nice long walk today or tomorrow. As you finish up your walk, take a moment and compare it to the walk that Joseph and Mary took.
• Express your gratitude to the LORD, Sometimes our journeys aren't as hard as we make them out to be!

2. Joseph and Mary's journey wasn't optional. They were obeying Caesar's decree. In contrast, much of our stress and fatigue are self-induced.

Thought question:

• Are there some things that you should consider eliminating from your schedule this week that will reduce your anxiety?  This is a tough one. This year, I haven't felt nearly as stressed as I have in the past. I am almost done shopping and completely done shipping. THAT was expensive!!  I would really like to shop slowly and carefully all year long. That would be a blessing to have everything wrapped and shipping in mid-November!!!! Whoa.  I should probably lessen my desire to get presents for everyone. I am always wanting to bake more and give more, and this leads to me feeling like I am not making the mark. If I met the goals I set, I know I would feel joyful and content. So, I possibly need to lower my goals, and definitely need to plan better in advance.

3. Make a schedule of what you have to do. Share it with your family, pray about it, and come up with a fun family plan to work together to get the necessary things done.
I could have used that about 3 weeks ago! I really needed some help, but couldn't seem to slow down enough to ask for it or plan it out. Jim was pressing me on all sides it seemed to get things done. Sometimes telling me to get things done isn't really helpful at all!  We were able to resolve that, but it took a couple of days to work it out.
As you go about your day, consider this Proverb and what it means:
²¹ Many are the plans in a person’s heart,
    but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails. (NIV)
²¹ Many are the plans in the mind of a man,
    but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.(ESV)
²¹ We humans keep brainstorming options and plans,
    but God’s purpose prevails. (MSG)

4. This week, in the midst of the busyness, let's seek to fix our eyes on the simple, beautiful story of the birth of our savior. As we do, may we remember that we are deeply loved by God, and that this is "The Reason for the Season".