Joseph, Me, and God's Will.

Today I read from the book of Genesis when I finally got to my desk.  I left home at 5:30 so I could be at a 6:45 meeting.  The meeting was brief....ten minutes of less and then I was off to my room to get ready for the day.  Before I start my day I always randomly open my Bible and pick a verse and ponder on it.  My verse today was this, "The Lord was with him; and whatever he did, the Lord made it prosper." (Genesis 39:23)  What a great verse for a Monday.  There is nothing like starting out your Monday with an early morning meeting, an assembly involving only half of the student population during the final period of the day and the last fifteen minutes of the class prior to that one.....and of course...top it off with bus duty.  Wooo Hooo....That was my Monday.  You know sometimes I think I have the perfect plan for my day. In my mind's eye I see everything coming together and working out in a precise and complete way.  But of course, those are usually the days that turn out the worst...like today. It seems to me that when I try to do everything right, it only turns out all wrong. It is at those exact moments that this little voice pops inn my head and asks me questions like...."Hey!  Are you out of God's will?"  "Are you a bad person?"  "Does God really care about what is going on in my life right now?"  Talk about a huge dose of Satan...that is what seems to happen on those days.  But then I find some nugget in the word that make me know I am not alone....I mean even little brother Joseph must have had similar questions as he lived through the events recorded in Genesis 39. At one point, he was living the perfect life. Yet in the snap of a finger, his world caved in. He woke up one day with a perfect plan, only to be kidnapped and sold into slavery by his own brothers because of their jealousy. Talk about sibling rivalry taken to the extreme! Then for years to follow his life was one dreadful event after another. No matter what right move he made, trouble kept stalking him. For instance, despite his deep walk with God, commitment to obedience and ability to resist temptation, Joseph was falsely accused of committing a serious crime against the wife of Potiphar, his master. Surely Potiphar would recognize who was telling the truth, right? Or at least God would make it clear to him since Joseph had such a great relationship with Him. Nope....not going to happen!  I can relate to this....when I feel I am on the right path....I fall down and stumble.  You all know from past posts...my name is not Grace!  Anyways....back to baby brother Joseph.....Potiphar (what kind of name is that anyways?) responded by throwing Joseph into prison. There he was--a good, gallant, God-trusting man decaying in a dark, dank, dingy Egyptian dungeon.
So I had to ask myself this morning...."Was he out of God's will?" I didn't think so, OK...so, " Was he out of God's favor?"  Again...I said to myself, "I Don't think so."  Well, " Did he not have enough faith?"  Come on...this man was full of faith....so what was the deal. Well.... here's the really interesting part: smack dab in the middle of Joseph's terrible circumstances, the Bible says that "The Lord was with Joseph" (39:21). God had been and was still working out His plan, and for a while it called for Joseph to be in an Egyptian prison. What seemed to be bad was actually good, because it was part of God's perfect plan. After all those difficult years, Joseph easily could have turned bitter. I know I probably would have.....that was a lot of bad stuff happening to one person.....Yet,  instead he had the "big picture" perspective. Here's what he told his brothers: "You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives." (Genesis 50:20) God used every detail of Joseph's circumstances to save an entire civilization.  So, perhaps things don't seem to be going your way, even though you're doing your best to follow Christ. Don't throw a pity party for yourself, join the Joseph club and have full assurance that God will work things out! Funny thing....I was having a good pity party one day....because my dad had died and my mom was in a dementia unit....and I stopped for gas at a pack-a-sack on the way home and was eavesdropping.....one of my favorite past times...and I heard a lady talking about her mom....and how weird she was acting....I shared a bit with her my story....she left feeling better....and you know what...so did I.  God put me here for a reason....and things will work out.....they may not be quite like I had planned....but then...I never have been a big picture kind of person.  God is in control of my life...and no matter what happens....it has a purpose. I have to wonder....if everything was always coming up roses what kind of person I would be....what kind of character I would have....how strong would I be?  All the things that happen to us in life...make us who we are.....my mom used to tell me trials built character....ok...I am a character all right.....but I don't think she was talking about that kind.  Happy Monday!