In my recent reading of A Resilient Life by Gordon MacDonald he states that one of the qualities of a resilient life is: Running free of the weight of the past.
Joseph was a young man who grew up in a very dysfunctional environment. Unfortunately his father Jacob had created a permissive, passive, and preferential environment which spawned jealousy, deceit, treachery, rape, incest, and murder, among his sons.
Joseph could have spent his life feeling sorry for himself, playing the role of the victim. He could have rebelled against his upbringing, fostering bitterness, anger, and resentment towards his brothers.
But nowhere in Genesis do we see his past dictate his attitude toward the future. So what were the qualities that Joseph modeled to become so resilient:
1. He chose to make the best of the present circumstances rather dwell on the past.
2. No matter how severe the circumstances he demonstrated integrity.
3. He didn't allow a root of bitterness to dictate his attitude.
4. He never lost sight of the sovereignty of God.
5. He was careful to rebuild trust in the relationships that were broken.
6. He set boundaries in his life that were potential dysfunctional relationships.
Joseph was a man who ran free of the weight of the past. Are you?
Thursday, January 29, 2015
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