What about Joseph?

"But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, 'Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.' " (Matthew 1:20 NKJV) So many things are written about Mary and how admired she is...people seem to forget about Joseph. Granted, Joseph wasn't in the picture as long because he was older and probably had died before Jesus went through his persecutions and death. But, Joseph was also amazing. Think about it. The woman he was going to marry got pregnant and it wasn't even Joseph's. Can you imagine what he thought, and what his friends were probably telling him??? Then an angel comes to him and tells him who this baby is and for Joseph to be the human father. The pressure he must have been feeling. He hadn't signed up for any of this! It's enough he had to worry about how he was going to support his wife, but now he had to think of affording a baby as well, PLUS he had the added responsibility of trying to keep everyone, especially Jesus, safe from those who would be out to kill Him. It also had to weigh heavily on him that, because he knew Jesus' fate, that he probably wouldn't be there for Him and for Mary. But, despite everything, Joseph was the model of a man of grace under pressure. You never hear of him going nuts, losing it, or even getting angry (except that one time when Jesus stayed at the temple...but then he had to act the father). Joseph did what he had to do, and he did it with a cool head and with grace. Joseph was a good man, and should be seen as the male counter role model! Love, Beau