Living in the Spirit
August 7, 2017
Scripture Reading:
Genesis 37:1-4, 12-28
Jacob settled in the land where his father had lived as an alien, the land of Canaan. This is the story of the family of Jacob.
Joseph, being seventeen years old, was shepherding the flock with his brothers; he was a helper to the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father’s wives; and Joseph brought a bad report of them to their father. Now Israel loved Joseph more than any other of his children, because he was the son of his old age; and he had made him a long robe with sleeves. But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably to him. – Genesis 37:1-4
The story of Joseph is the story of how not to parent an exceptional child. I do not know if I have any natural skills in math or not. I made good grades in arithmatic but invested minimum effort in doing so. As the youngest in my family with an older brother and an older sister who both excelled at math, I gravitated toward history and English to carve a unique path. Being the youngest of 12 did not leave much room for Joseph to find his niche. He did have time to spend with his dad who was probably turning more and more responsibilities over to his grown sons. Joseph by all accounts was exceptional and it took misfortune to help him channel his gifts appropriately.
What gives you joy? We will find what God is calling us to do or be when we identify what gives us joy. Joseph dreamed big dreams; was a visionary; saw the big picture. Later in the story we learn he had the administrative skills to implement his visions.
The newly installed General Minister of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), the Rev. Theresa Hord Owens, worked for several years in business before she realized that ministry was what gave her joy and she changed careers. The background in business was not wasted as she assumes an administrative role.
A woman in my church loves to crochet. She spends the entire year making afghans, hats and mittens, bedspreads, and Christmas tree ornaments to either provide for the needy directly or increase our mission fund through sales of her work.
Joy is different from happy. Joy often comes at the expense of many long hours at hard work and the investment of resources, even danger. A local group is dedicated to provided self-sustaining water wells in countries desperately in need of not just water but safe water. Many of these countries are caught in strife making it difficult for this group to do their work.
What gives you joy?