This past Saturday, some friends and I were doing a bible study on letting go of your past. We spoke about Joseph and how even after his brothers sold him into slavery, he was wrongfully accused of rape, and forgotten in jail, in time of hunger, he loved his brothers and helped them get grain.
What surprised me the most about the story, is that the book of Genesis does not record Joseph as a bitter man. He is seen as emotional, for when he finally meets his siblings, he goes to a separate room and wails so loudly that he left people wondering what was going on. Wherever he was, Joseph embodied the answer to the what Jesus would do question. To whom he was sold to first, trusted him so much that he became the manager of his house. At the jailer’s house, he was seen as wise and organized. When he interpreted the pharaoh’s dream, he was finally pulled to second in command for the prosperous country of Egypt.
After a life of abuse and abandonment, we could say that he had all the rights to play victim and pout. Yet that was definitely not his train of thought. He worked hard at his post and had to keep somewhat of a good attitude in order to be able to move through the ranks. We can see that he was a hurt man, but we was an able man.
In moments of crises, we tend to bring our hands up and throw the biggest pity party imaginable (with our own sad soundtrack). Joseph shows us the opposite. He needed to work hard in order to survive and he is remembered for that and not his sad bash. The skills he developed in those different roles were what allowed him to become second in command in Egypt and help save not only Egypt, but many countries and peoples, including his own.
The only way he was able to accomplish this, was by trusting God. He had to believe that God remembered where he was and each day would stand for him against injustice. Yes, God allowed for his brothers to vanish him from his home. Yes, God allowed for him to be wrongfully treated his employer and at the jail. However, God was still God while it happened and would guide him throughout it. Don’t forget:
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
Romans 8:28
This is the greatest lesson: where we are, we need to bloom . Unpack your bags and get used to the cold air. The past is in the past, and we do need time to heal. Yet moving on happens when we move in our current station. Taking it day by day and completing our responsibilities as the Lord calls will equip us to use our pain for good down the road. One cannot happen without the other. Trust that God was, is and will be with you and you will see His hand. Not trusting is a crippling act that stops us from leaving the hurt cycle. Trust gives us hope and delivers us to a better tomorrow.
Feel free to share about a time where you felt that you were stuck and later saw how that time helped you get to where you are now.
PS: If you want to learn more about Joseph, you can start reading here.
Thriving in Simplicity 