Living in the Spirit
August 15, 2017
Scripture Reading: Genesis 45:1-15
Hurry and go up to my father and say to him, “Thus says your son Joseph, God has made me lord of all Egypt; come down to me, do not delay. You shall settle in the land of Goshen, and you shall be near me, you and your children and your children’s children, as well as your flocks, your herds, and all that you have. I will provide for you there—since there are five more years of famine to come—so that you and your household, and all that you have, will not come to poverty.” And now your eyes and the eyes of my brother Benjamin see that it is my own mouth that speaks to you. You must tell my father how greatly I am honored in Egypt, and all that you have seen. Hurry and bring my father down here.’ Then he fell upon his brother Benjamin’s neck and wept, while Benjamin wept upon his neck. And he kissed all his brothers and wept upon them, and after that, his brothers talked with him. –Genesis 45:9-15
I sometimes wonder about the changes in relationships after a family member suddenly become an NBA or NFL draft pick or anyone else who was one day one of the family and the next a household word everywhere. Most superstars dealt with some popularity even in grade school, but that is not the big stage. How do you think siblings would feel if they tossed the now superstar under the bus and had not heard from him in years when they next encounter him? On top of that, he is in the position to save them from starvation. Awkward does not begin to explain the situation.
Then again, what if you were the superstar? Brothers and sisters are the people in the world who might know us best. They witness our defeats as well as our accomplishments. I enjoy listening in on my now grown nieces, and nephews tell the tall tales of together skirting their parent’s knowledge of their questionable antics from childhood. Being siblings is a special bond. I’ve shared a few of those tales with my own siblings.
My Dad and his best-friend brother fell out late in life. They did not see each other for a while. When Dad had a massive heart attack, all three of we children independent of each other called and notified our uncle of the grave nature of the situation. Dad was at the VA hospital, and my uncle knew the hospital well as a disabled veteran himself. The hospital had some of the strictest visitation rules I ever encountered, but somehow my uncle maneuvered his way into the critical care unit and saw my Dad before he died. Both reported they picked up where they had left off before the estrangement and had a good visit. God had a hand in making that visit a reality.
God enabled Joseph to see the broader picture of the good that came from his horrible experience. God heals broken relationships if we are willing to make it so.
Prayer: Lord, it is not good when familial brothers and sisters let the world get in the way of their love for one another, neither is it good for brothers and sisters in Christ or for that matter all your children everywhere. Heal our brokenness bring us to wholeness that we may serve you better. Amen.