Whether or not there was/is a Grudge.

Luke 2:17
When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child;

Here’s where I think Mary and Joseph might have had a difference of opinion. For Mary, this is amazing news. Who wouldn’t want to know that their child is incredibly special? But for Joseph things are murkier. Yes, this is a special child, but it’s technically not his child! Furthermore, he knows it!

Obviously it would appear that over time Joseph put such understandable misgivings aside. Or did he? We’ll never know.

With Christmas gatherings on the horizon, sometimes we encounter people who give us reason to cringe for one reason or another. Maybe they said something once that rubbed us the wrong way or maybe they just behave in a way that grates on our nerves. My only advice would be to take a cue from Joseph and act in such a way that, even if there is a grudge of some kind brewing, history doesn’t record it.