Getting Over What Others Think

I don't think I had ever spent any time considering what Joseph, who accepted the adoptive role as Jesus' earthly father, must have gone through until reading a portion of The Jesus Creed by Scot McKnight.

Joseph, being a devout follower of the Torah, had to know what other devout followers of the law would think of his marrying Mary who was pregnant. He would no longer be a respected member of the synagogue. Others would not understand or believe that he had received a divine message and command to marry her. He had to know that by marrying Mary that his reputation would suffer in the eyes of those he lived with and respected. He would never have the same standing in his faith community again.

I have some things to learn from Joseph. I've always been much too absorbed by what others think of me. On the one hand, I often heavily factor in what others in my faith community will think about what I do. On the other hand, I'm just about as concerned about what those outside the faith family think. McKnight's point in the book is that we need to be more concerned about our identity than our reputation. More work to do in that area.

This point also makes me do some thinking about people I know who have taken actions that have damaged their standing in the church. Usually whatever it is that causes them to lose standing looks like sin, or at least breaking written or unwritten rules. So how would we have judged Joseph? Are there things we don't know about these people in our fellowships that might make our judgements about their actions wrong?

Which all reminds me of the inscription on Dave Phillip's pen set that his wife gave him and which sits on his desk. "To thine own self be true." I have to keep reminding myself that it doesn't say "And what would Sister So and So think?"

By the way, here's a link to The Jesus Creed.