Have you ever felt like the rat in the wheel, like one thing happens and when it starts to look up, wham! it starts all over again. It is sometimes hard to see the silver lining in the middle of the storm. If you ever need motivation about the fact that everything ends up working for our good, just read the story of Joseph in Genesis. Talk about a guy jacked up by everyone that could, including his own brothers.

From the beginning of the story you see the tension building as he’s developing his gifts and his brothers are jealous of him. The first thing they thought about doing to him was to kill him, but they decide to sell him as a slave. With siblings like that who needs enemies, right? But then God made it where he found favor with his master who put him in charge of everything and he learned, as a slave, how to manage the land and the livestock.

That was too easy, so the Master’s wife had her eye set on Joseph and wanted a little more personal tender loving care. As a man of God and of integrity he rejected the woman. She couldn’t take that offense and made a scene pretending that Joseph had tried to assault her. Poor Joseph is sent to jail.

Ah! In jail God makes him get favor with the keepers and he was in charge of other prisoners, but he was still a prisoner. In there he met some people, I’m not going to give you the details, you have to read this one. The bottom line is he ends up being taken out of jail and made basically the second in power in Egypt. With his experiences, gifts and knowledge he journey the country through a horrible famine as well as reconnected with his family and provided for them through the famine.

When his brothers finally realized that it was him, they were in shame and Joseph’s words really caught my attention: “So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God. He made me father to Pharaoh, lord of his entire household and ruler of all Egypt” Genesis 45:8

So regardless of what part of your journey you are, can you appreciate that your life has a purpose? That it’s true! God never wastes a hurt, that your test is part of a bigger purpose and a testimony. Your troubles are part of the master plan to bring glory to God in the end.

Ask yourself what can you learn from your current situation? What skills is God imparting in you for the future through your struggles? You may think, but this is too painful. Have you ever prepare to compete in an athletic event? It takes a lot of pain and sacrifice. So just enjoy the ride and see what lessons you need to learn…and when you think the world around you is treating you bad, read about Joseph, it will show you that your situation is not as bad, or at least that you are not alone.

Blessings

Naty

Related articles

• Genesis 47 (asorensen.wordpress.com)