Has your love ever been rejected or not believed by a close friend or a family member? If so, it breaks your heart and leaves you feeling deeply dismayed.
Don’t they get how much I love them? What must I do convince them of my love for them? I don’t deserve this after all I’ve done for them. In times like these we ask questions like:
Why is this happening? How did this come about? What have I done? What words have I said or things that I’ve done to bring this about? How did our family dynamic and history play a part? And we wonder…
If you’ve experienced this sadness you’re in good company and God fully understands.
Joseph experienced all these things. Being raised in an extremely dysfunctional family (who’s exempt here?) and being his dad’s favorite among his large family his deeply jealous brothers sell him to slave traders and he ends up in Egypt. While living there with integrity he is unjustly accused, convicted and sentenced to prison.
During his twelve years of making license plates for chariots he is seemingly forgotten, yet the Bible says, “The Lord with Joseph.” Now that’s something to always keep in mind for you too. Supposedly dead and forgotten Joseph miraculously becomes the next in line to the Pharaoh (Gen. 41:43).
During a severe middle-eastern famine Joseph’s brothers go to Egypt in desperate need of food. Over a period of time Joseph meets all their needs while keeping his identity hidden. After keeping his emotions in check for quite some time Joseph can no longer control himself and breaks down in tears and tells his brothers, “I am Joseph, your brother.”
OMG! What? Say that again? They are absolutely terrified! Despite his brother’s fears Joseph meets their needs and is finally reunited with their Father Jacob. Joseph graciously takes care of his brothers’ families during the famine years.
When their Father Jacob dies the brothers fear the worst now that their Dad is dead. We’re going to get what coming to us. So they sent word to Joseph saying, your father left these instructions before he died: “I ask you to forgive your brothers the sins they committed in treating you so badly. Now please forgive the sins of your brothers.” When the message came to Joseph he wept. (Gen. 50:17).
His brothers came and threw themselves down before him and pleaded, “We are your slaves.” But Joseph said to them, “Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good. So then don’t be afraid. I will provide for you and your families.” And he reassured them and spoke kindly to them. Gen.50:18-19 Amazing love how can it be.
Joseph wept when he heard the message from his brothers. It broke his heart that they didn’t believe that he had already forgiven them. Hadn’t he already shown his forgiveness to them by his actions? He could have meted out anger and justice, but he knew love was a better way.
Joseph is a picture of God’s amazing love for us. Like Joseph, God’s heart is saddened when we don’t really believe that we’re forgiven in Christ when he has declared it to be so. Like Joseph, God has forgiven us and has spoken kindly to us. Aren’t you glad God doesn’t give us what we deserve, but what we need?
If your love has ever been rejected, not believed or misunderstood you’re not alone in that sadness. God knows what that’s like too. After all, His love has been rejected for thousands of years. Yet, His love for you has never changed and it never will. Grab hold of it and don’t ever let go!
