Scripture: [Joseph reassuring his brothers] “You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to his position so I could save the lives of many people” (Genesis 50:20 NIV).

Victor Frankl, Holocaust survivor and author of Man’s Search for Meaning, wrote of some of the situations he endured: “When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.”

I love the story of Joseph, the Hebrew prisoner who became the most powerful man in Egypt next to Pharaoh.   As a youth, the favoritism shown him by his father and his own cockiness made him a target of his brothers’ anger, and they cruelly sold him into slavery.  From there, he was unjustly thrown into prison. But God used Joseph’s shattered life to save nations and to preserve the lineage of our Savior.

In prison, he must have searched for the Truth that transcends even the worst of circumstances and, in so doing, became a far better man.  I like to imagine him offering comfort to other prisoners and perhaps a share of his own meager food. He chose to trust in the God of his fathers and never let bitterness wrap its deadly tentacles around his heart and mind. Day after day, he performed his assigned tasks even better than his supervisor’s expectations. Slowly, he grew in wisdom and moral strength he might not have realized otherwise.

Prayer: Father, I trust you to bring good out of any difficulties I may encounter.  Help me to remember that whatever work I do, however I can bless another, it is all for You. Amen.