“Men's best successes come after their disappointments.” Henry Ward Beecher
But the Lord was with Joseph and showed him steadfast love and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. And the keeper of the prison put Joseph in charge of all the prisoners who were in the prison. Whatever was done there, he was the one who did it. The keeper of the Prison paid no attention to anything that was in Joseph's charge, because the Lord was with him. And whatever he did, the Lord made it succeed. Genesis 39:21-23
Indomitable: “impossible to subdue or defeat” New Oxford American Dictionary
Imagine all your siblings hating you. Imagine them hating you so much that they decided to kill you. But then they discover compassion, they decide to just sell you as a slave instead of killing you. Now you have a life of tribulation ahead of you. However, after making the best of your situation you're falsely accused of a major crime. Now you're not just a slave, but a jailed slave. There is no system of justice to find your guilt or innocence. You're life is not your own. You're life is in the hands of a power greater than yours. Doesn't really sound like a path to success does it. But that's what I've just described. That was the path to success for Joseph, a servant of God. The story of Joseph is the quintessential example of success through adversity. He found success in Potiphar's house after being sold as a servant to him and he found success after being thrown in jail on false charges of raping Potiphar's wife. I can't imagine Joseph enjoying the things that happened to him and the situations he found himself in, but he must have had an indomitably positive attitude and willingness to work. Because in every situation Joseph was able to far surpass what would be expected of someone in his predicament. At this point you might be expecting to hear a speech about improving ourselves to the status of Joseph through self reliance and perseverance. However, that's not how Joseph gained success. It wasn't Joseph who was responsible for his success. It was his trust in God that gave him the ability to keep a positive attitude. It was his willingness to live God's purpose that allowed him to accomplish what he did. When we put our trust in God and allow Him into our lives He has a way of blessing us in every way, beyond what we could ever imagine accomplishing ourselves. Let's put our faith in God, trust that He has a purpose for our lives, and see where He can lead us. After all, our lives are not our own. We are all servants to a higher power. If it's not God then it's your spouse. If it's not your spouse then it's your employer. If it's not your employer then it's your customer. And so on... Let's make God the Master of our lives. He's the only higher power that is truly just, truly fair, and truly able to bless. Josephs miserable path to success ultimately led him to being the prime minister of Egypt. That's what God can do in in a life lived for His purpose.
Daily Journaling Questions:
How did I help someone in kindness today?
What did I learn today?
What am I thankful for?
Who did I love today?
What am I dreaming of?
What about today do I want to remember forever?
What are my goals for tomorrow?
Thanks for reading.
Jake