Hated and Rejected

I’ve been reading about Joseph. You know, Jacob’s son. As I was reading and thinking, God showed me that it was more than just a story of a family from Bible times. As I was reading, I was reminded that Joseph knew what it was like to be hated and rejected by his brothers. Joseph faced the same problem that many of us face today. While most of us have not confronted the hatred of others to the point that people want to kill us, we have all at one time or another dealt with people who just don’t like us. They may not kill us, but they make sure we are aware that they do not like us. When we see people who just hate us we can take heart we are not the first one to ever be rejected. We are not facing a new thing. We are not facing something that others do not or have not faced. What an awesome reminder when I’m staring down the enemy! When we face these trials, there is no need for a pity party, and we can stand strong. The best thing about this is his response. He has a chance to get even with them and what did he do? Did he get even? Make them suffer for how they treated him, correct? Nope, not even close, he forgave them. By that, I mean, he did not hold it against them. There was no hatred for them in him or for what they did. What exactly DID they do? Well, they sold him into slavery. They wanted to kill him, but they decided they could gain more from selling him. How many of us respond like this when people treat us bad? I would like to say I do, but I don’t always. I am still letting go of past hurts and learning to forgive without holding a grudge. Perhaps, someday I can forgive like Joseph forgave.

Comments

Live Fearlessly

As I was driving home today, I passed a person walking on the side of the road. Since it was cold, and snowy, I thought I should stop and offer the person a ride. As I drove on by, I was irritated with myself for not stopping. I could have and should have but I didn't. Why? I was scared! Maybe that wouldn't bother you, but I'm willing to bet there are things that make you afraid. It may be snakes or spiders that send the ticker into overdrive. Or maybe it's your job and finances that keep you up at night when you should be resting. Then again perhaps it's relationships that consume your thoughts and energy. As followers of God, we know that we are told not to be afraid. Yet we often are afraid despite everything we know. As I was driving away from a missed opportunity, I began thinking about what it is that makes us afraid. I honestly am not sure what it is that causes us to be afraid when we should be bold, but I

Tragedy: A Christian Response

I want to start by telling you a story. We were new parents. When Our oldest, a son, was about eighteen to twenty months we had another baby, a girl with brown hair and huge eyes. One day as I went to feed her, my son who may have been two at the time wandered off to another part of the house. The next thing I heard was a thud. I grabbed my baby girl and ran to see what happened. There was my son with a table on top of him. He had pulled it over on himself and more blood than I had ever seen was running all over. We put him in the car and dashed for the ER. It was not a fun trip. He had a skull fracture and many stitches. Fast forward about fourteen or fifteen years, I’m at a stop light and watch my youngest daughter about ten start across a street on a bike start across a street just as a truck comes around a corner into the path of the bike. She hit the side of the truck and bounced onto the road. I grabbed her up and checked her over there were no injuries, but

Just A Word of Praise!!

On Sunday, after church, we went to a town about thirty minutes away. On the way we drove through an area where they were working on the road. It was no big deal. We had lunch, bought some food for the week, and drove back home. Later, as we were on our way to church for the evening service, I heard the ominous flapping sound that a tire makes when it’s flat. Yikes! I pulled over and while I was debating how I was going to change a tire. A car coming in the opposite direction drove by and stopped. As the driver appeared from the vehicle, I recognized him as a neighbor and fellow believer. He approached the car, and asked if I had an air compressor to inflate the tire. My answer, “Yes, but I’m not sure how good it is. I’ve never actually managed to inflate a tire using it. I may not be using it properly.” I produced it from the trunk of the car and handed it to him. Within a few minutes, he had it hooked up and running. As it turned out, I was using it properly,

Inspirations

Search This Blog