“I am your brother Joseph, whom you sold as a slave to go to Egypt. Now don’t be worried or angry with yourselves because you sold me here. God sent me here ahead of you to save people’s lives.
No food has grown on the land for two years now, and there will be five more years without planting or harvest. So God sent me here ahead of you to make sure you have some descendants left on earth and to keep you alive in an amazing way. So it was not you who sent me here, but God. God has made me the highest officer of the king of Egypt.
Genesis 45:4-8 (NCV)
Joseph, great-grandson of Abraham and favorite son of Jacob, had a story fit for the big screen. He was forced into a life he didn’t choose when his jealous older brothers sold him into slavery. Through a series of circumstances, Joseph proved himself to be intelligent, confident, faithful, and even prophetic. Rather than focusing all his time and energy on his own suffering, he chose to see the opportunities God put in front of him to benefit others. Joseph’s story proves that the circumstances in our lives don’t have to break us; our response to them is what does that. We have much to learn from the ways Joseph responded.
Joseph had every reason to be bitter, but rather than choosing bitterness, he chose to bless. He had every right to be fearful, but rather than choosing fear, he chose faith. He had perfectly understandable excuses not to forgive, but rather than refusing forgiveness, he chose to offer freedom from shame. And he had every reason to hold a grudge, but rather than holding tightly to a grudge, he handed others the gift of grace.
Like Joseph, you may feel you have every right to be bitter or to hold on to fear, to refuse to forgive, to hold a grudge, and even to exact revenge. But blessings are hard to see when you’re sitting in that kind of darkness. They can only be seen in the light of Christ. When your heart is tuned to His, you will see your purpose as much bigger than your pain. Your story doesn’t end when you go through difficult circumstances. It could just be the beginning of your best adventure yet! You are loved!