Waking Up Like St Joseph

Imagine waking up from a dream that changes everything.

That was what happened to St Joseph.

One moment, life was normal. The next, everything shifted. The future he had planned no longer made sense. Yet Joseph did not argue. He did not delay. He simply got up and did what God asked.

Joseph was a man of action. But his action did not come from nowhere. It came from a heart that was listening.

And that is where Lent meets us.

Lent is a season of reflection. A time to slow down and look within. In the quiet, we begin to discover, or rediscover, who we are.

We come to confession carrying the weight of our sins. We lay them down. We are washed again. And we try, once more, to walk in the light. It is not just about leaving sin behind. It is about beginning again with Christ.

In that space, something starts to shift. We begin to feel a nudge – a quiet call to turn away from the path we have been on, and to move towards God.

At first, it is subtle. A sense that something is missing. A realisation that chasing success or comfort is not enough, that no matter how much we gain, the thirst in our hearts remains. Even when we try to ignore it or stay where we are, the restlessness does not go away.

In time, we sense that something needs to change. But when it comes time to act, we hesitate. Because we want clarity. We want certainty. We want to see the whole picture before we move.

We ask questions like:

Will this turn out well for me?
If I forgive, will I be hurt again?
If I give more, will it matter?
What will it cost me to follow God?

These are real questions. Honest questions. But they often keep us standing still.

Jesus simply says, “Follow me.” He does not always show us the full plan. He invites us to trust Him with the next step.

So we ask again: how did Joseph do it? How did he wake up from that dream and choose a path that would cost him his plans, his comfort, even his reputation?

Perhaps it was not that Joseph had all the answers. Perhaps it was that he trusted God without needing them.

He trusted that the God who called him would also guide him. That even if he could not see the whole journey, he could take the next step.

And so he rose. And he acted.

This is the invitation for us this Lent. Not to have everything figured out. Not to remove all fear. But to listen, to trust, and to take one step forward.

And perhaps, before we act, we need to learn to be still.

To go before the Lord in silence and pray: “Speak, Lord, your servant is listening.”

To quiet the noise. To stop trying to control every outcome. To allow God to speak in His own way, in His own time.

Then, like Joseph, we rise. And we act.

To wake up to God’s voice and to act without hesitation.

You may not see the whole road. But you can take the next step. (BV)