Then Joseph said to his brothers, "Come closer to me." And they came closer. He said, "I am your brother, Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. And now do not be distressed, or angry with yourselves, because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life. For the famine has been in the land these two years; and there are five more years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvest. God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors. So it was not you who sent me here, but God; he has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house and ruler over all the land of Egypt. Hurry and go up to my father and say to him, 'Thus says your son Joseph, God has made me lord of all Egypt; come down to me, do not delay. You shall settle in the land of Goshen, and you shall be near me, you and your children and your children's children, as well as your flocks, your herds, and all that you have. I will provide for you there -- since there are five more years of famine to come -- so that you and your household, and all that you have, will not come to poverty.'
Blessed be . . . the God of all consolation, who consoles us in all our affliction so that we may be able to console those who are in any affliction with the consolation with which we ourselves are consoled by God.
-2 Corinthians 1:3-4 (NRSV)
It is kindness that gives us sympathy to those who are in need or suffering in some way. But it is experience that gives us empathy to fully understand the suffering of others. Joseph could have become bitter from all that he wrongly suffered. Instead he kept a humble heart and continued to look toward God for his salvation. Instead of holding on to grudges, he thanked God and acknowledged him for all the good that came he way. He realized that he would never had been in his position of rank if he had not first walked the path of slavery and imprisonment. He worked hard with dignity no matter where circumstance landed him. If he had chosen instead to be bitter and angry, he might very well have spent his entire life in prison. Because he honored God in all his work, his life's destiny was fulfilled.
My husband works for a large corporation. I work for a much smaller company. We each started our jobs the day after we returned from our honeymoon. He started with twice the pay that I did and since he has an MBA degree and I a BS degree that was expected. Over the past 6 years his company has had huge layoffs of 3 to 5 thousand people at a time where my company has been growing. His company has given annual raises below the rate of inflation where mine has been very generous with raises with the end result being that after 6 years I have passed him in income. His experience has not been fulfilling and has left him pretty unhappy at times. I have been very sympathetic of each layoff and understanding about the raises his company gives.
Recently my company had a layoff of a much smaller scale than my husband's company, however it was done in such a way that it affected every department to some degree. Living through this experience of seeing co-workers losing jobs and feeling the company-wide fear that resulted has moved me from sympathy to empathy. Now I understand the feeling of instability that my husband has lived with over the past few years. I was understanding before, but now I feel the same pain and I really understand.
In the current ecomonic times we live in, no company is immune from layoffs it seems. No matter how stable you may feel your position is, there is no job that has a lifetime guarantee unless you are self-employed and even then you are subject to the market you serve. Getting too comfortable is not an option. You have to remain dilligent in your current role and be ready for opportunity when it comes your way. If set backs come, your attitude will determine the outcome. If you honor God in all you do, then like Joseph, you may be able to look back over your journey and see that it was God that took you to where you are so that you could be a way of hope to others.
My prayer: Lord, help me to see the greater path you have for my life. Help me to be thankful for each day and to see your purpose no matter what the circumstances may be. I want to be like Joseph believing in your vision for my life to such an extent that even when my current reality seems far from the vision, I have the faith to know that each and everything I do is leading me to the end goal and that with You Lord, I will find the fulfillment of my life's destiny. Help me to see and focus on Your vision for my life, Lord. Let it be! Amen.
