He was dearly loved by his father Jacob and was given a coat of many colours, but he was treated unfairly by his brothers and sold into slavery, all because they were jealous of him. He ultimately became ruler of the land, second only to Pharoh.
A second famine came upon the land, and his brothers would go down to Egypt to buy bread, and it was Joseph that gave them what they needed, he recognised them, but they did not recognise him!
The story unfolds that Joseph tested his brothers, and he could have easily got revenge on them for what they did to him, but when his brothers finally recognised him, Joseph said to them “What you meant for evil, God meant for good” God was with Joseph in every circumstance that he faced.
Whenever we are faced with difficult situations, I wonder how we react?
Are we able to find the positive in it or do we think of others and how we can help them?
I have twin nieces and my niece Maria is going through chemotherapy, radiotherapy and brachytherapy which is very intense and, as you can imagine, has lots of side effects. On her first day of chemotherapy, she was unsure what to take with her, and amidst all this treatment she came up with a brilliant fundraising idea to help others going through their first chemotherapy treatment.
She is supplying patients with a chemo backpack, which can recharge phones, water bottles that tell you how much to drink during the treatment, pear drops to ease nausea and countless other things.
What is more important is the message that she attached on the labels – “ A little kindness. A little hope. A reminder that you are in good hands, you are not alone. Whatever today looks like, I hope this small gift reminds you that there are people who care and who are quietly cheering you on.”
We are all so very proud of her thinking of others during this difficult time, and its good to know that for others who will sadly need this treatment too there is a reminder that they are not alone, God is with us whatever we face.
Isaiah 41 v 10 God says “Fear not for I am with you”
