Scars

You have scars. Perhaps not physical scars, but you have scars. We all have scars. We all have wounds from the painful experiences in our lives. There’s a story in the Old Testament book of Genesis about a guy named Joseph who had lots of scars in his life. Here are a few highlights of his scars.

First, his brothers get angry because his father has asked him to go see how they’re doing and he brings back a report. So he’s labeled a tattle-tale. Then, there’s the fact that he was his father’s favorite, which never plays well.

Strike three comes when he has this dream about his brothers where they all bow down to him. This guy isn’t exactly working his way in to their good graces, eh? Then, his dad asks him to go check on his brothers again, which he does. And when they see him coming, they decide to kill him because they’re tired of him. Ultimately, they decided not to kill him. Instead, they sold him into slavery.

Fast forward a bit, and he’s found good favor with his master. But his master’s wife also takes a liking to him and tries to seduce him. Because Joseph is a Godly man, he refuses her advances, so she accuses him of sexual assault and he ends up in prison. And the hits just keep on coming, right?

While in prison, a couple of the king’s servants are thrown in jail and they get to know Joseph. Eventually, one of the king’s servants get out of jail, and when the king has a troublesome dream, this servant remembers that Joseph can interpret dreams. So Joseph interprets the dream, which, ultimately, sets him up as the second in command of all the land.

You should read your Bible, it’s filled with fascinating stories like this! There are a lot of details I’ve left out, but here’s where I’m going with this:

You know what it’s like to have someone lie about you, don’t you? You’ve experienced betrayal by those you trusted, haven’t you? You’ve had your world rocked by people that you thought had your best interest in mind. So what do you do? How do you respond?

Through a series of events, revenge against his brothers is handed to him on a silver platter. Now God is with him! Right? And if we’re honest, there’s part of us that really likes this moment because we’re thinking that Joseph’s going to get revenge.

These are the guys who broke his trust and his innocence, the ones who set in motion 13 years of painful experience. They stand before him, and Joseph has a choice. “Do I take this opportunity for revenge and sink my teeth into it and feel good right now?” But he doesn’t. He chooses to forgive them.

A lot of people feel like they’re owed revenge — perhaps even you. But did anyone deserve more revenge than this guy? Thirteen years of all the stuff he went through — and he chooses to forgive. Because of his choice, the nation of Israel was given a future. Because Joseph trusted God more than he wanted revenge, he was able to make a choice that saved nations and thousands of people.

So let me ask you: What is revenge for you? And what will it do for you? Maybe for you, revenge is what comes out of your mouth when your husband or wife hurts you or offend you. Maybe revenge is the decision not to forgive a friend. Maybe it’s the decision you make to shut somebody out of your life. The bigger question, though, is: What does it do for you?

Here’s what I know – we have scars. For many of us there are open wounds, and if they’re not treated, they become infected. We cannot go back and re-do the past. We can only move forward — but how? Joseph was able to move forward because he knew that God was with him. Check this out:

But the Lord was with Joseph. (Genesis 39:20a, NLT)

Joseph found it in his heart to forgive his brothers because he was absolutely confident that God was with him. And you can be confident that the Lord wants to be with you, as well.

So I close with a reminder and a question. First, the reminder:

In the midst of the pain, the disappointment and the struggle, God is with you.

You need to know that. Joseph had 13 years of pain and struggle and questions, but God was with him. And God is with you. We believe it in the good times, but we question it in the bad times, in the times of betrayal, hurt and pain. But the reality is, He is there. So here’s the question:

Who do you need to forgive?

A family member? A friend? Someone close to you? Yourself? Who do you need to forgive? If everything is great in every relationship you have, then wonderful. But if it isn’t, isn’t it time you stepped back and offered the forgiveness that’s been offered to you by God Himself?