This is one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind. –Neil Armstrong

Since Neil Armstrong broadcast these famous words from the moon at 10:56 p.m. on July 20, 1969, most of us who are old enough to remember may have associated big leaps with space travel, moon suits, and inhospitable-looking, cratered landscapes. As the world watched, Armstrong planted his left foot onto the lunar surface, and the rest was history. There was, however, some discussion of what Armstrong actually said. I’ve heard many misquote him saying This is one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind. Some later questioned whether or not Armstrong meant, and should have said, one small step for a man–not man, in general. Armstrong claimed that he did say a man, and a computer programmer Peter Shann Ford found the missing “a” with his software in 2006. A 2013 study confirmed this finding. Armstrong was keenly aware that his step as a single human being was a step for all humanity. His courageous big leap onto the moon continues to influence and inspire us today.

What can a single individual with courage accomplish? There are far too many examples to convince even those of little faith that one human can change the world. Take Mary’s betrothed, Joseph, for example. Here was a simple man, a carpenter who spent his days working with his hands. Even a simple man, however, had his reputation to consider. Even a simple man would’ve known the shame that a fiancée carrying another’s child would bring. Even a simple man could see how terribly and painfully stories like this play out.

Some may argue that anyone who leaps into parenthood must be a brave individual, for parenting is not for the faint of heart. I remember the moment that my mother pulled away from our home after the birth of my daughter. She’d come to help for several days, making meals, taking a night feeding so I could sleep, and offering the wisdom that only a veteran parent can offer. As she pulled away, I stood at the screen door and began to cry even before she’d driven 100 yards. How was I supposed to do this without her? What if I made a mistake or didn’t know what to do? I cowered in the face of parenting and imagined all sorts of terrible scenarios in which I failed to keep my daugher safe, fed, and happy. I was not brave–not by any sense of the word. Undoubtedly, many have had similar fears as they brought their babies home and began their lives as parents.

Still, one could–and should–argue that Joseph’s leap into parenthood was a gargantuan leap that required the kind of courage we only read about and see on movie screens. He could’ve quietly broken his engagement to Mary and left her pregnant and without a husband. For the Jews, betrothal was serious business, a pledge made one year before marriage that required a writ of divorce to break it. Joseph might’ve chosen to publicly break his pledge, for believing Mary to be pregnant with another man’s child would’ve given him just cause. Breaking this pledge, however, might’ve condemned Mary to death. But an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying: Joseph, son of David, Do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit [Matthew 1:20]. Waking, Joseph made a big leap, pledging his life as a husband and an earthly father to the Son of God.

There are so many unknowns in parenthood. No matter how much we’ve planned, how proactive we believe we’ve been, and how committed we’ve been to fulfilling our roles well, things happen. A child falls from the top bunk where we dutifully secured a safety rail; a child with a peanut allergy unknowingly eats a treat made with peanut butter; a teen skids off the road driving home during her first winter storm; a young adult loses his first love to another. Each day, parents all over the world wake and take a deep breath, praying for their children’s safety and happiness. For many parents, it often takes courage just to get out of bed. But imagine the courage it would take to rise each morning as the earthly parent to God’s son. Imagine the host of unknowns Joseph faced daily. Imagine his fear in the face of his own limitations as a mere mortal.

Like Mary, however, Joseph leapt bravely into parenthood with the assurance of God’s love. Though Armstrong’s giant leap for mankind is genuinely impressive, it pales in comparison to this simple man’s courageous leap. Sheltered in a stable in Bethlehem, Joseph gazed into his infant son’s face and understood that, in his earthly arms, he cradled the Messiah who’d come to change the world.