Joseph is one of my favorite Old Testament characters. I was reading his life story recently and something jumped out at me as I did. After his brothers sold him to the Ishmaelites and they took him far away to Egypt, Potiphar bought him as a slave. Then the Bible says, “the Lord gave him success in everything he did” as he served Potiphar. You probably know what happens next. Mrs. Potiphar decides she wants a boy toy and Joseph rejects her advances so she cries, “rape!” and her husband sends him to prison. And again the Bible says, “the Lord was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did.”
So I got to wondering, do you think Joseph felt like a success? Rejected by 10 brothers, taken captive to a foreign land, sold into slavery, falsely convicted of a terrible crime, sent to prison for 14 years. It doesn’t sound to me like anyone would nominate him for the cover of Success magazine. And I doubt that Joseph felt like he had it made. Yet God calls him a success.
That gives me hope. When it feels like my life is not where I thought it would be by now and things seem to be a mess, I need to remember that God is up to something. It might be a while before I can figure out what it is – or maybe I never will – but He promises to work all things together for my good. And I believe Him. He’s proven to me that I can. So take heart. When it feels like your life is a big mess, try to see yourself through God’s eyes. He might be getting ready to name you person of the year!
Dianne