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.