Jamin Bradley

I sat down at my dining table feeling hopeless. No matter what I did or said to try to repair the situation, nothing seemed to be working. Suddenly the thought popped into my mind: “Forgive them.” I reluctantly said the words out loud. “No, I want you to mean it.” I tried again. “Jamin?” I sighed and then took a big breath and said it again slowly.

Something fell off my back and I grew lighter—as though claws had just come out of my shoulders. There was some kind of spiritual weight or a demon I had been carrying that I wasn’t aware of before that moment—something preying on my pain. Perhaps now I would be able to think a little straighter about the situation.

Joseph had his own weight to carry. His family had completely ruined his life, but in true underdog fashion, he rose up to a place of incredible power. His family was now under this thumb. He tricked them and threw their lives into deep fear and let them live in it. At one point he seemed to have a plan to steal his full blood brother for himself and send his step brothers away.

We often read this story thinking that Joseph was paving the way for a more glorious surprise reunion with his family, but I’d suggest that this wasn’t the case. I’d suggest that Joseph was furious, wasn’t fully sure what he was going to do yet, and likely had his mind set on vengeance. Fortunately his heart broke along the way and he was able to tell a better story.

What story are you telling right now? How might it go differently if you let God write a new direction for you?