Joseph

Joseph modeled Jesus when they both "did not think honor and inheritance something to be attained, but instead made himself nothing, becoming a servant."

Joseph knew as Jesus did that all his brothers were supposed to bow down in honor and respect for him, being the one to be obeyed among the children of Israel. But they mocked him and sent him off to suffering and humiliation and lonliness.

Joseph was sold as a slave and served as one in Egypt, and then also unjustly became a prisoner. Eleven years of this stuff occured in his life while he waited for God to exault him according to his promises.

Yesterday when I read this and applied my own sense of unfulfillment, un-use, to Joseph's time of suffering, I became bitter. I didn't want to bear under this time of training and preparation and unrecognition. But I continued on in my reading today and here is what I found:

The accomplishment of the time of suffering/waiting/un-use is:

Experiencing God's faithfulness in all circumstances now will make for an even-handed rulership later. It will enable me to encourage and gain trust those who would ever be under me, that I'd be steadied. Experiencing the manage of little, tiny ministries now will make me comfortable with and give me confidence to use my known gifts for God and not turn my back on Him. When I work out the insides of my heart now in un-use, I free myself of things like self-pity, to help... becoming "others-oriented;" an important and necessary trait for those in authority. God is now creating modesty in me, making me pure in heart not because I start like this but he consecrates me to Him so that I will not stray when temptation comes. He makes it so that I will not hope that men will honor or respect or help me out of my circumstances; He will squash my trust in everything, except Him to exault me. A time to generally sift my heart's desires and crucify all evil intentions, so that I look and feel and act like a servant of God, there won't be a doubt in anyone's opinion about it later when I am in a place of authority or leadership. Now is a time to spend around the weak and unspoken and broken people, to find myself no better than the least of men, so that I can exhibit respect and compassion for everyone later; no favoritism. I am learning that God's guidance is perfect, so that I can share that hope to those under my care. I am training in the now, in how to 'save lives' in the little scope. And most importantly, or desperately in my heart, God is now in the time of un-use, breaking my pride. I need many years as Joseph did to truly squash it so that I won't offend others but will be harmless as a dove when authority finally comes.

All these things I gathered from Joseph's struggles in Egypt, things like when Potiphar's wife tempted him, when the cupbearer forgot to help free Joseph and he waited 2 years in vain for him to do so, and things like how conscious Joseph was that God was with him and making his talent great in the midst of all those hard experiences.

It gives me hope, feeling all alone in some ways as I do as I bear under being conscious of my unused talents. I can believe and hope in God's good planning in leaving me for now "forgotten" and "buried," that He has something unseenly great in store for my future.