God made a promise to us, too, in the person of Christ as he was ascending to heaven. Jesus said, “I am with you always” (Matthew 28:20). We can trust this promise. If we ever doubt it, we can remember what the angel said to Mary when she was taken aback at the announcement that she would give birth to Jesus. A literal translation of the angel’s response in Luke 1:37 reads: “Every word God speaks is possible.”
In the person of Christ, God spoke and promised never to abandon us. Our most overwhelming crises and emergencies are never powerful enough to separate us from Christ’s presence. Just as Joseph had a real life, a good life, despite all the threats to his well-being, we can have fulfilling lives when we trust Christ’s promise to be with us through everything.
Change your worldview When the slave owner’s wife attempted to seduce Joseph, he had no good options. If he viewed his pos- sibilities through a cultural lens, either he disobeyed the wife or he betrayed the husband. Either decision entailed possibly gruesome penalties. Joseph chose to view the situation from the eter- nal and infinite viewpoint of God. To succumb to the demand of the seductress would be an offense to God, who had sanctified the relationship of marriage at the creation of Eve. Joseph replied, “How then could I do this great wickedness, and sin against God” (Genesis 39:9)? He accepted the price of his decision to see it God’s way.
Seen through the lens of God’s purpose, the world around us looks different. Joseph’s ability to see things God’s way overcame his natural fear of the consequences of disobeying the outright command of his mistress. When events in our time/space context seem com- pletely out of control, we feel afraid and powerless. If we consider those events from God’s eternal and infinite viewpoint, the lens of God’s purpose sharpens the focus on alternatives with eternal value. Even when the outcomes look undesirable through a cultural lens, acting on God’s view encourages us to accept those results gracefully.
Build relationships Sentenced to jail on a false charge, Joseph nonetheless found ways to build relationships (Genesis 39:20-23). He sustained his relationship with God. He also nurtured connections with both prisoners and the warden. These bonds enriched his life despite his desperate circum- stances. Joseph initiated rapport with Pharaoh before he even began to interpret his dream.
Joseph’s relationships enabled him to thrive despite
dire circumstances. He would have enjoyed a fulfilling life even if he had never been released. Relationships are at the heart of our faith. When Jesus was asked to name the most important commandment, he said, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind … [and] you shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Mat- thew 22:37-39). Sum it all up—the most important work in life is our interaction with others. People who build walls around their own neediness become bitter and sometimes vio- lent in their isolation. People who focus on serving oth- ers form connections with God and other people that strengthen them against the vicissitudes of life.
Refuse to be a victim
Joseph could have been classified a victim many times over, but he never saw himself that way. He forgave the circumstances, people and forces he could not control. He told his brothers who sold him into slavery: “Even though you intended to do harm to me, God intended it for good” (Genesis 50:20).
Many people choose to believe that somebody should pay for every bad thing that happens to them. Unable to forgive either people or circumstances, deter- mined victims exist in a dark, unhappy world where nothing can ever compensate sufficiently for the suffer- ing they endure.
They cling to their hunger for revenge, cloaking it under “the principle of the thing.” Miserably needy, they soak up apologies and attempts at making amends the way sand soaks up rain in the desert their lives have become.
Only people who forgive again and again as Christ
taught us will overcome life’s negative experiences and thrive. Jesus said he came to give us abundant life, but if we are too miserly to forgive, then the bushel baskets that God wants to fill to overflowing with blessing will shrink to mere thimbles.
The most obvious power behind these principles is
a living, breathing relationship with God. The secret is worship. Joseph worshiped God throughout his life. It turned his heart toward God and away from self. Meaningful worship does the same for us. As we focus our attention on God, we submit our worldview, our relationships and our anguish to God’s eternal pur- poses and promises. We need not be paralyzed by all that engulfs us. God goes with us through all of it as God promised, to the end of the age.
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