Joseph’s Wacked-Out Life

My life has been on a Joseph kick lately.  We’re starting a 10 week Joseph series in kids’ church, the first lesson of which I taught.  Ryan preached on Joseph today.  I’ve heard stuff about a book about Joseph.  It seems like Joseph just keeps coming back.  I suppose God’s probably trying to tell me something.

Regardless, I did have a realization about Joseph today.  See, Joseph’s life was pretty screwed up.  He had more step-whatevers than you could imagine, his dad cheated his way through life, and he was the favorite.  He wouldn’t let you forget it either.  Joseph didn’t start life very well.  In fact, Joseph even contributed his good share to how screwed-up he was.  Sometimes I can read through his early life and see pride, other times I can’t.

Joseph’s brothers hated him because of his pride.  Finally, his pride led to a fall.  Literally.  He found himself at the bottom of a pit.  Not by his choosing, but more because that’s where the 10 brothers found a convenient place to put him.  That pit was important to Joseph’s life though.

See, without that pit, Joseph would have lived the rest of his life as the spoiled brat child of a con artist.  But that pit opened up opportunities.  That pit changed his life.  After that, he had a rough couple of years, then he became a great ruler.  That’s what a pit did for Joseph.

We’re a lot like Joseph.  Sometimes, we get so cocky we just get thrown to the bottom of a pit without a rope.  While we’re in there, it looks pretty hopeless.  It’s dark and we can’t escape by ourselves.  But if we choose, that pit can be hopeful.  You have to come out of the pit eventually.  Things will be better once you get out.  You just have to try.  Choose that you’re going to get out.  That way, when you’re on level ground, you can look at where you’ve been and thank God you’re not there anymore.  You overcame, with His help.  Let the pit change you for the better, rather than wallowing in the swamp at the bottom.