Joseph, chagrined but noble, determined to take care of things quietly so Mary would not be disgraced (Matthew 1:19)
This is how the Bible introduces the Christmas story.
Mary is pregnant and Joseph at that time thinks what any one of us would, that Mary has been unfaithful.
With the cultural weight fully behind him he could have made a real fuss and created a scene. But he didn’t.
He really loved Mary and was desperately saddened, but he wanted to keep the parting as low profile as possible to protect her.
That’s integrity for you. Contrast it with the usual attitude to a break up where the ‘wronged’ party does what they can to broadcast not only how innocent they are but also how bad the ‘offender’ is.
But all that does is set up off on a spiral of destruction where we become consumed by hatred.
Not to mention the fact that the other party hits back and before you know it your whole personal lives are being broadcast in public as weapons to get one over on the other.
In life when bad things happen the best policy is to quietly draw a line under them. And move on.
And who knows, as in the case of Joseph, things may not always be what they appear.
