Pastor Ben’s Ponderings

From The Desk Of Pastor Ben

“I am Joseph your brother, whom you sold into Egypt. But now, do not therefore be grieved or angry with yourselves because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life.”     (Genesis 45:4-5) NKJV

I have often asked myself: Do I have what it takes to truly forgive someone who has hurt me? How have I reacted when someone has trespassed against me or invaded my life somehow, causing me sorrow or trouble? Maybe these are questions that only get answered as we experience pain, hurt, and rejection. I have to believe that forgiveness is a process, a skill we choose to develop and practice for a lifetime.
What a humbling example is the story of Joseph, a young man highly favored from birth, a dreamer, someone who was envied by his brothers for the wisdom God had given him. Scripture describes the disloyalty of his brothers who sold him into Egyptian slavery. Imagine the sorrow, loss, and disappointment that he must have felt. But the hand of God was upon his life, and the favor and power of God was granted to him to govern the Egyptians under Pharaoh. A perfect plan was being birthed through Joseph’s great sorrow. A famine hit the land of Canaan where his family lived. It is not by chance that the brothers who betrayed Joseph found themselves bowing down, seeking mercy, hoping that grace would be given to them. The brothers must have been feeling ashamed, guilty, and not worthy of the grace they were going to receive. But isn’t it just like God to turn a situation around? At the moment Joseph was confronted, face-to-face with his betrayers, he was given compassion, a deep desire for restoration, the power to forgive.
What a lesson we can learn fro this story! Joseph could have allowed his situation to turn into bitterness and anger. But instead, he sought after God’s wisdom and discernment. He was given the insight to know God had a bigger plan.
In life, I have learned that the sweetest joys, the overcoming victories are birthed through the deepest sorrows. I have learned that forgiveness is a choice. When I choose to forgive, I am not necessarily minimizing my hurt nor the severity of the offense. Forgiveness is not just to release the person who hurt me; forgiveness is a gift I give myself! It is an act of love, compassion, and pure mercy. Forgiveness is liberating; it can set me free from the chains that bind my heart. Ephesians 4:32 says, “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.” It is challenging to be kind to the person who hurts you. But I have been on both sides of forgiveness. I have needed mercy. I have needed to be forgiven. I have found myself in a place where I longed for compassion. I have also experienced the joy that came when I forgave someone else and was able to show compassion and mercy. If we want to be forgiven, we must forgive others. Mark 11:25 says, “Whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses.”
My prayer is that I may exercise my faith today, asking God to give me strength to show mercy that I may receive mercy. I pray I will be compassionate so I may be shown compassion. I pray I will be forgiving so that I will, too, be forgiven.