It's the day before we move, and I'm a little out of sorts because things aren't quite finished and aren't quite done. That makes me nervous. :) . My comfortable, well-appointed little home is in shambles and empty...and a little sad. It's the way it works with moving. You have to tear up roots to plant new ones. You have to dismantle one home to build another.
I guess it's appropriate that in the midst of my (self-induced) stress, I picked back up with my study of Genesis this morning, resuming it at chapter 39. That's the place where Joseph gets sold into slavery and finds himself a servant in Potiphar's house. So, what's a good guy in that kind of story to do? Why, become the BEST SLAVE EVER! Of course! And rise to the point of being a trusted right hand man. If the story ended there, it would be awesome and triumphant. But it doesn't.
See, Joseph was about to be reminded again of one of those universal facts in this universe we inhabit. Life. Is. Not. Fair. You can be a good guy. You can be faithful. You can keep your nose clean and do what you're supposed to do. But then... then you get slapped by reality. In Joseph's case, he got slapped by Potiphar's lying, conniving wife.
I think I like Joseph's story because I would be so tempted to sulk. I would be tempted to throw up my hands and weep because this is just NOT FAIR. I didn't deserve slavery, but I was a good slave. I DEFINITELY don't deserve a wrongful felony conviction when I didn't do ANYTHING except NOT sin. I would probably be having a long and not exactly pious conversation with the Lord about all that. And maybe Joseph did too...but I doubt it. His story just paints him as going into the prison and making the best of a really bad situation. What do you do when you're a good guy in jail for a crime you didn't do? You become the BEST PRISONER EVER! Of course.
Confession time: I'm tempted to sulk even right now. And life is pretty good. When a little bump in the road hits, I feel the "It's Not Fair" tide rising in me, and I want to scream at the sky. And people, it's a LITTLE bump. But I don't like bumps. I plan things because I like them to go smoothly. I don't like surprises. I like predictable. But God doesn't work that way always.
The reminder for me today is that I must trust God in all things. Little and big. I must remember that what I see as a stumbling block, He doesn't always see that way. I need to remember that it's not all about me. At all. And in the middle of my sad empty house, I think I may make lemonade...or I may just go buy some, since everything in my kitchen is packed up. :D
Genesis 39: 21-23
21 But the Lord was with Joseph in the prison and showed him his faithful love. And the Lord made Joseph a favorite with the prison warden. 22 Before long, the warden put Joseph in charge of all the other prisoners and over everything that happened in the prison. 23 The warden had no more worries, because Joseph took care of everything. The Lord was with him and caused everything he did to succeed.
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