Today’s scripture: Genesis 43 (NRSV) (The Message) (KJV) What might God be saying to me?
My thoughts (Steve Adams):
What engaging family drama is told in this story! Relationships, family or otherwise, can be so very difficult. We seem to have spontaneous harmony with some people. With them, even when there is an issue of disagreement or concern, it can be resolved without a huge effort, and both parties grow in the process. With others, like the brothers in this story, disagreements and offenses arise that can balloon into big resentments, destroying trust. In this case, the famine forced the brothers to realize they needed Joseph, and that he deserved their respect.
This reminds me of when I participated in a year of Christian training, fellowship, and outreach. I lived with the coordinator along with seven or eight others. I was deeply offended when the coordinator (I’ll call him Tim) yelled at us and insulted us because he believed we weren’t living up to our commitments. He told us we had to give him a written statement answering this question: Am I going to stay in the program (and do it right), or quit?
I felt led to write a page-and-a-half response, in which I stated some of my grievances. I made it clear that God had standards for everyone’s behavior, including Tim’s — and that we all had to love and respect one another if we wanted to be in God’s will. I also acknowledged that I also had fallen short at times. My last word was “Yes.”
We all met the next day, and he read our answers. I was surprised they were all yes, but he didn’t read mine until last. Suspense! Then he smiled and read my entire letter, citing it as thoughtful and meaningful.
After that, Tim and I worked together, along with others in the house, to lead home fellowships and classes. We needed each other in order to fulfil our mission of feeding God’s Word to people who wanted to learn. The brilliant analogy of the one body of Christ in I Corinthians 12 illustrates how much we all need each other! The skill set of each individual pools together with those of others to form a strong, alive body that ministers to each other and the world. Now, years later, while I still remember Tim’s mistakes, I also value some spiritual lessons he taught me — lessons that few others could have communicated.
Thought for the day: God can surprise us by providing a path to reconciliation with someone who has offended us.
We encourage you to include a time of prayer with this reading. If you need a place to get started, consider the suggestions on the How to Pray page.