Recently I have developed a great admiration of the life of Joseph, one of the patriarchs of Israel, whose life is detailed in the book of Genesis. Actually my admiration is for the way Joseph handled life. As a teacher I deal with all kinds of whining and excuses on a daily basis. Some excuses may have a tinge of legitimacy. Others I have very little tolerance for.Joseph had the extraordinary ability to adapt to any circumstance and not just survive...but to thrive. His focus on God was so singular that he did not allow unfair circumstances to phase him. He never wallowed in self-pity. This is a guy who was thrown into a cistern by his own brothers, sold into slavery, and transported hundreds of miles from his home against his will.
But he thrived. Upon arriving in Egypt he showed such trustworthiness and leadership he was made the head of the household of an important Egyptian government official. Everything seemed derailed when he was unjustly accused of rape by the official's wife. Thrown into a deep dank Egyptian dungeon he quickly gained the trust of the prison guards and became a foreman of sorts...once again by not allowing for any excuses or whining and remaining focused not on earthly things but on God...he rose to the top again.
By God's divine providence he was ushered to the throne of the most powerful leader in the world...the Pharoah of Egypt. Most Egyptians...much less despised foreigners...never enjoyed the privilege of an audience with the divine Pharoah. Joseph impressed the Pharoah and soon was made Grand Vizier of Egypt...second only to Pharoah himself. He was actually given responsibility over the day to day operations of the largest and most powerful civilization on earth at the time. His wise governance and policies saved Egypt from collapse during a famine that lasted seven years.
From what we can tell Joseph never pouted or dwelled on past injustices. In fact, Joseph forgave the brothers who had plotted his murder and who had ended up selling him into slavery. He forgave them with both words and actions. Life was not fair to Joseph at times. But by keeping his eyes on God...he prevailed over all obstacles and became one of the founding fathers of a great nation.
