Choosing Forgiveness

Earlier today, I happened to be watching the VeggieTales retelling of Joseph, "Little Joe," and besides a boatload of childhood nostalgia, I was struck with a deep thought.

If you recall the account from Genesis 37-47, Joseph's brothers sold him away from his very comfortable life as favorite child of his father Jacob (Israel). He became a slave in Egypt, was wrongfully imprisoned, interpreted the Pharaoh's dream, rose to second-in-command over all of Egypt, and ultimately saved Egypt and the surrounding civilizations from total starvation during the years of famine. We can draw many lessons from Joseph's life, and there are plenty of good ones out there already.

But I want to discuss one aspect that really hit me while watching it.

Joseph had every right to remain bitter toward his brothers. They had literally ruined his entire life. Think about a time when your siblings did something that seemed unforgivable. You'd have to agree: Joseph had it much worse. If ever there was a circumstance when just about everyone would agree that someone had a right to hate their own family, this is it.

Of course, once he got over the homesickness and adjusted to life as Potiphar's slave, Joseph actually thrived. He did the best he could with what he had, and he gave God the glory. Everything he did, he did with God first in his heart, even to the point of being wrongfully imprisoned. But then of course, he is lifted to a great life as the second most powerful man in Egypt where he could use his gifts to save the nation.

So his life turned out pretty good, especially for a guy who was sold into slavery as a spoiled seventeen-year-old. At this point, onlookers might comment that he should be grateful to his brothers for putting him on the path to greatness.

But what they would forget is that he suffered. For years. And years. All because of his brothers' envy. We aren't told what he was thinking as he was dragged around the country with slave traders. We don't know what he whispered during the lonely prison nights. We can't see whether his heart was forever scarred by the betrayal of his own family.

Years. No matter the outcome, could you forgive someone who had caused you years of agony?

Yet Joseph did.

He knew that God had taken what his brothers' meant for evil and turned it to good (Romans 8:28, . In fact, He had taken the worst intentions and worked them out for the very best. But even knowing that is only a tiny step toward forgiveness. After all, regardless of what God turned their actions into, they still meant him harm. And that's what hurt most of all.

But Joseph forgave them anyway. He saw their repentant hearts and gave them forgiveness in probably the most beautiful display of mercy until the Cross.

I realized that there are people in my life that I hold bitterness toward. People who hurt me years ago that I still resent. Names that make me upset just to hear.

Then I look at where I am now. I have an amazing church where God is using me, wonderful friends who constantly point me to God, and a great job and university. Honestly, I just about have it all when it comes to being blessed beyond measure. And I know that hurts from my past have molded me and guided me along paths that I didn't foresee in my wildest dreams. People who excluded me made me think of others and try to include them. People who showed me what bad friends are enabled me to see who good friends are. Friends who turned out not to be friends prompted me to break away and find a new set of friends who are more than I could have asked for.

So really, I should thank them, right? After all, whatever harm they intended me, God used for good. Instead of losing, I've actually gained much more from the path that I've ended up on. So why is it so hard for me to forgive?

Because it hurt. Sure, I'm fine now. But I had long days and weeks and months of loneliness and hurt that won't just go away when things get better. And that is something that I'm going to have to really work through with God.

Is there someone that you're still holding bitterness toward? Is there someone who hurt you and you just can't forgive?

Maybe now is the time to ask God how you can begin to forgive them. It won't happen overnight. If you're anything like me, it'll be a daily struggle. But evil wins if you harbor bitterness in your heart. Forgiveness sounds complicated, but really it's very simple: let it go.

Love Your Neighbor

So we've had some major work done on our house and it ended up that our entire yard was torn up. Currently, we have virtually no grass and I don't think we've thought about our bushes in months. Our yard is basically a big mess and we haven't had time or energy to put it back together yet.

Well, I came home from work yesterday and our next door neighbor was in the front yard trimming our bushes. She stayed several hours, tidying up our front yard and advising us on our other plants. And in the past she's mowed our lawn countless times and she and her husband have been incredibly kind to us in the two years that we've lived here.

In fact, they have been the perfect example of the neighborly love that Christ commanded...except for one thing: They're not believers.

Now, how many of you Christians out there would drop what you were doing to help your next door neighbor with yard work? How many of you would do innumerable acts of kindness with no desire of being repaid?

"Well, I'm busy."

Admit it, you just said that. And I get it. I'm busy too. I have work, school, and church to balance on top of any social life that I still have. I barely have time to help in our own yard, much less someone else's.

But we are seriously missing the mark here. Jesus commanded us to love God and to love our neighbors. Of course He meant that we are to love anyone in our path, but I imagine that He would emphasize that our geographic neighbors are a great place to start.

And yet here we are, being served by our neighbors who don't love Jesus.

This is not a post about how it's better to be a nice non-believer than to be a mean Christian. Please don't take that away from this.

This post is about why I even had to say that! Brothers and sisters, this is one of those "You only had one job" moments! "They will know we are Christians by our love." Where is our love?

Don't get me wrong: it's great to go on mission trips or to go to the next town and do a Bible camp or to serve the Body in church. But if we are not loving the people around us, we are failing miserably! We get so wrapped up in our own drama and pharisaic ideas of love and service that we completely miss the heart of the issue.

The world doesn't need your theology. It doesn't need your fancy PowerPoints. It doesn't need your catchy worship songs. It doesn't even need your outreach materials and service projects.

The world needs to see the love of Christ reflected through us.

There's a song by Casting Crowns called "If We Are The Body" and it shows how we as Christians are so caught up in our own "goodness" that we neglect loving those who don't fit the "Christian" profile. It points out that, if we are the hands and feet of Jesus, then we should be doing what Jesus would have been doing.

I know it isn't practical and it isn't easy. But we have a duty to reach the lost world, and we're not going to reach them with projects and programs.

We'll reach them by our love.