Avoiding an Embittered Heart

(Author's Note: Tomorrow begins ASU's Fall Break, so I am taking a break as well.  WftW will be back on October 15th.  Jim)

"Then Joseph said to his brothers, 'Come close to me.'  When they had done so, he said, 'I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt!  And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you.  For two years now there has been famine in the land, and for the next five years there will not be plowing and reaping.  But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance.  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 45:4-8 NIV)

The account of Joseph (Genesis 37, 39-50) is one of my favorite stories of the Bible.  It is chocked full of intrigue and suspense, and the plot has several unusual twists and turns, particularly for those accustomed to the plots of Hollywood.  For if Hollywood had written the story of Joseph, you can bet it would have been much different.  Potiphar's wife would likely have seduced Joseph.  He would have probably led a revolt while in prison, and he would likely have gained revenge upon his brothers through torture or death.  His character would be very sympathetic because he is the ultimate victim, betrayed several times by those closest to him.  

Yet, a fair reading of the actual account shows Joseph acting anything but a victim.  He sees himself as a servant of God, doing His bidding.  What an attitude!  And it is this attitude that saved Joseph's brothers from a terrible fate.  Rather than seeing them as betrayers, he saw them as instruments of God's will to serve a greater purpose.  The great irony being that their act of treachery led to the saving of their own lives!

Joseph faced choices all along the way in his life.  In Potiphar's house, he could have accepted his wife's advances, justifying it by the fact he had been ripped off in life and deserved a little pleasure. He did not. He could have sulked in prison, doing nothing good for anybody, just wallowing in his bitterness and resentment. He did not.  Upon being promoted to Pharaoh's household, he could have used his power to exact revenge on the people responsible for imprisoning him and his brothers.  He did not. Rather, He chose to trust God and see his life as being in the Lord's hands.

Your life may not be going the way you had planned, but know that God has everything under control and that His plans are much bigger than yours.  Today, trust him with the direction and happenings of your life, believing, as did Joseph, that in the end God will work all things for the good in your life (Romans 8:28).  By doing so, you can avoid the terrible fate of an embittered heart.

© Jim Musser 2012