“But Joseph replied, “Don’t be afraid of me. Am I God, that I can punish you? You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people. No, don’t be afraid. I will continue to take care of you and your children.” So he reassured them by speaking kindly to them.” - Genesis 50:19-21
Joseph’s brothers had caused such terrible things to happen in Joseph’s life. From a human perspective, it would have been very understandable for him to punish them with the power he now had, out of revenge or anger. But Joseph knew that that was not what God wanted. God had used his position for the good, and Joseph knew he needed to forgive his brothers because that’s what God would want him to do.
How many times in my life have I not forgiven someone over something way smaller than getting sold by my family and thrown in prison for years? We need to forgive other people who have wronged us, and not have anger against them. It doesn’t mean it’s okay what they did, it just means we won’t hold it against them anymore. God has forgiven us, so we need to forgive others.
2 comments:
Good thoughts in this post - I've always loved the story of Joseph for exactly what these verses say. It ties in with verse 25 from the Mark reading: 25 And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.”
This was a good reminder for me. I am not usually one to hold grudges. It takes a lot of work to actively hold a grudge against someone and I have too much other stuff to do. But that doesn't always mean that I've actually forgiven them either.
Yes! Forgiveness is so important - for us more than the offender. So important to note that, as you said, forgiveness doesn't mean it was ok, it doesn't condone anything, and it doesn't mean we trust them again, or even need to have a relationship with them again - but that we do not hold onto bitterness in our hearts or hold it against them.
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