I've heard, read, and seen the story of Joesph over and over in many forms. There are cartoons, musicals, stories, and even a pretty amazing Dolly Parton song that all allude to or retell the Joseph narrative. I'm always surprised, however, at the grace with which Joesph accepts his fate and forgives his brothers:
"I am your brother, Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. And now do not be distressed, or angry with yourselves, because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life."Let's remember the beginning of this story. Joseph's brothers are jealous of him, so they throw him in a pit, sell him into slavery, and tell his father that wild animals ate him. That doesn't sound so loving or brotherly to me. I mean, I fought with my brother all the time, but I never sold him into slavery. I thought about it, but I never did it. If I were Joseph, I'd be pissed! But Joseph sees that because of what happened he earned a place in Pharaoh's court, helped save not just Egypt but surrounding areas from famine, and found a new fertile land for his family. He sees his hardships as God's plan. That's something I struggle with every day. It's hard to remember that God sees the big picture. He's in charge, and I need to accept that. That doesn't mean I should just give in when life gets hard, but it does mean that I need to go deep into prayer and listen for God's answer. I, like Joseph, should stay faithful through hard times knowing that God will take care of his people. I also should learn to forgive those who have trespassed against me.
First did you really think about selling your brother into slavery? I guess I should just be happy you didn't think about feeding him to the wild animals.
ReplyDeleteSecond, this really speaks to me right now, because I am in a place right now where I don't know what God wants for me, but apparently he isn't ready for me to move on, maybe because I have so much trouble forgiving. I don't know as you say God sees the big picture and I must continue to trust Him and remain prayerful and watchful.