Greater is Coming

His brothers hated him so much, they wouldn’t talk to him or look at him. He was nearly killed, then disowned, sent far from home into slavery, was falsely accused and then was imprisoned.

I was thinking about all the heartache that Joseph endured as I read the first Mass reading today (Gn 37:3-4, 12-13A, 17B-28A). We know from Joseph’s continued dreams and ability to interpret the dreams of others that he remained open to God. But with so much disaster, I was really left wondering how he kept his faith.

Hi life appeared to be a series of disasters. But all of this set the stage for how God was going to get Joseph into Egypt to become Pharaoh’s second in command and save thousands of lives in a famine.

I was looking back at my life today in light of this first reading. I suffered many problems that broke my heart, left me terrified and made me question everything. It’s usually very hard to see God’s hand in the midst of the suffering. But I am coming to understand the Lord uses everything that happened to us to set the stage for where He wants us to go.

Having had a sick child who needed (and completed) cancer treatment, I understand more deeply the power of prayer. Having lost the Eucharist for a time by a wheat allergy, I now really value Jesus' true presence. Having for a time lost the ability to care for myself through a neurological disorder, I have a deeper trust in God’s providence and a greater appreciation for community.

He’s guiding me, even through the things I wasn’t sure would turn out well at the time.

So, it is my encouragement to you to look back on the difficulties in your life and give thanks for how they led you to something that you have seen is greater or will find is greater in the future. I encourage you to to stand in the midst of your present pain and know that greater is coming. Joseph's story didn't end at rejected, exiled and imprisoned. The Lord was working in the midst of the struggle for greater.

1 Thessalonians 5:18 “In all things, give thanks, for this is God’s will concerning you.”

#heartache #Joseph #hope #Thessalonians