Diary of a Pregnant Virgin #14

10:15 PM Edit This 2 Comments »
Dear Diary,

Guess what I’m doing right now? I’m packing! I’m going home! Joseph—MY Joseph—has come to take me home!

This afternoon I was sitting with Elizabeth. She was just starting to tell me again about that passage in Isaiah when Joseph showed up. We’d left the door open for a breeze, and as soon as I saw him coming I jumped up and started to run to him, but then stopped myself. What was he doing here?

As soon as he saw me, though, he started running. His whole face lit up and he charged into Elizabeth’s house and grabbed me and swung me around. I couldn’t believe it. I was laughing, and he was laughing, and Elizabeth was laughing, and he swung me around at least four times before putting me down. (Thank goodness, because I was starting to feel nauseous. This morning sickness thing has been so much fun.)

I introduced Joseph to Elizabeth and her eyes twinkled as she shook his hand. Then he grabbed my hands and looked me in the face. His eyes were so intense, even more than the day he proposed.

“Mary, I have come to ask your forgiveness for not believing you. I never should have doubted your word; walking away was the stupidest thing I’ve ever done. But God has revealed the truth to me, and now I’ve just come to say this: If you’ll let me, I will love you and take care of you for the rest of my life, and I will try my best to be the father this baby deserves. I wouldn’t blame you if you just sent me home alone, after all I’ve put you through… but I really do want to take you back to Nazareth with me, as my betrothed. If you can find it in your heart to give me a second chance… Mary, will you marry me?”

I hugged him tight. “I love you, Joseph,” I whispered. “I never stopped.”

We stood there gripping each other. My throat got tight and I silently thanked God for this new miracle.

Elizabeth announced, “Well, this calls for a celebration! I’ll get the cake I’ve been saving for Sabbath. I don’t think God will mind.”

So we sat around Elizabeth’s living room eating cake and Joseph told us how God had revealed the truth to him. He said that after he had broken off our engagement, he was heartbroken and angry—at me, at the other guy, and most of all at God. He did a lot of yelling at God, out in the same field where I had encountered that crazy peace. Then he started thinking about what to do. Breaking off the relationship with me was only step one. He still had to go to my father in private and formally end the engagement. People take betrothal so seriously that breaking it off is pretty much the same as divorce. But still, divorcing me quietly was kinder than exposing me to public humiliation and maybe even stoning. How about that—even in breaking my heart Joseph tries to be honorable!
“Then one night—I had a dream,” Joseph said. “At least I was asleep, so it must have been a dream, but I’ve never had a dream so real in all my life… I saw you, Mary, with your stomach big all around. You were dressed in white and had a veil over your face. I saw you smile at me through the veil, and I saw myself standing next to you with our hands resting on your stomach. We both looked so happy. There was something just right about it.

“I heard a voice behind me saying my name. I turned around, and I swear—it was an angel, just like you saw! I can’t even describe it. The light was so bright! He said, ‘Joseph, do not be afraid to take Mary to be your wife. For it is by the Holy Spirit that she has conceived. She will have a son, and you will name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.’”

I almost started crying all over again. Elizabeth quietly handed me a tissue, but I just held it in my fist, determined not to need it. Joseph continued.

“I woke up with this total confidence that everything was going to be okay. Then all of a sudden I had this rush of joy as I realized—I could marry you! I was so excited I couldn’t sleep the rest of the night. I’m sorry I didn’t come earlier. I wanted to take you home right away, but your dad convinced me that we needed to have the wedding as soon as you came back, so of course I needed to have a house to take you to. So… I’ve spent the last two and a half months building us a house,” he announced proudly.

I was flabbergasted. “You built us a house? In just two and a half months?”

“Well, I found a fixer-upper that just needed some work,” he amended. “And it needed a nursery added on. I finished early this week, and I couldn’t wait any longer. Your mom’s been making all the wedding plans, and we’re getting married in two weeks!”

“She’s been planning the wedding all this time? How did you know I would say yes?” I asked.

He winked. “The angel was a big hint.”

I couldn’t help it—I threw my arms around him and laughed.

So now Joseph is sleeping in Elizabeth’s front room and I’m finishing packing. We’re leaving early tomorrow, so I really should sleep, but I’m way too excited to sleep. I’m going home—and I’m going to marry Joseph in just two short weeks!



Matthew 1:18-23

2 comments:

Koneko said...

D'aaaaawwwwww this is just too cute~~~~ x3 I absolutely love this one.

Rachel Hicks said...

awwwwwww!!! Mann i love this one!!!! <3!