Child of God are you downcast and suffering because people are envious of you because they feel you enjoy certain favours from superiors, endowed in some special way or possess certain qualifications, and for these reasons, you are persecuted, blackmailed, ridiculed, and scorned? Don’t worry, don’t give up what you do, you’re closer than you think to your destiny- the point of the manifestation your glory and blessings.
Seneca the Younger wrote: if you want to know how many envy you, count your admirers. I say to you: if you want to know how close you are to your destiny or a particular blessing, weigh your difficulties, the more your difficulty, the closer you get there! If this is unclear to you read slowly…
Cf Genesis 37:3-28
They [the brothers of Joseph] saw him in the distance, and before he reached them they made a plot among themselves to put him to death. ‘Here comes the man of dreams’ they said to one another. ‘Come on, let us kill him and throw him into some well; we can say that a wild beast devoured him…But Reuben heard, and he saved him from their violence. ‘We must not take his life’ he said. ‘Shed no blood,’ said Reuben to them ‘throw him into this well in the wilderness, but do not lay violent hands on him’ – intending to save him from them and to restore him to his father. So, when Joseph reached his brothers, they pulled off his coat, the coat with long sleeves that he was wearing, and catching hold of him they threw him into the well, an empty well with no water in it. They then sat down to eat. Looking up they saw a group of Ishmaelites who were coming from Gilead, their camels laden with gum, tragacanth, balsam and resin, which they were taking down into Egypt. Then Judah said to his brothers, ‘What do we gain by killing our brother and covering up his blood? Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, but let us not do any harm to him. After all, he is our brother, and our own flesh.’ His brothers agreed. Now some Midianite merchants were passing, and they drew Joseph up out of the well. They sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty silver pieces, and these men took Joseph to Egypt.
POINTS FOR REFLECTION
1. Child of God, on this 15th day of our Lenten observance the Lord wants us to focus only on Him our true destination and give no room to distractions coming as persecutions. The story of Joseph and his brothers is a classical example that teaches us that God initiates and directs destiny. That destiny is in the hand of God; and is the purpose of one’s existence when one manifest fully the special grace and gifts of God in the world, among men. And so, men can frustrate your destiny but cannot stop or take it away from you! You are the only one that can stop it when you work against the grace of God.
2. The destiny of Joseph which was to be achieved in Egypt was quickened like a catalyst, by the envy and persecutions of his brothers. Since by its nature, destiny manifests and is relevant among men for a purpose, the bible says in Psalm 105:16 that the Lord God sent Joseph sold as slave ahead to Egypt to save his people from a devastating famine that would come.
The Lord called down a famine on the land; he broke the staff that supported them. He had sent a man before them, Joseph, sold as a slave.
3. Child of God, your persecutions and trials are for a purpose: God allows you to pass through it in order to prepare you for a better future. Joseph did not give up on God but cooperated with God in truth and righteousness. His persecutions did not stop him from visioning and dreaming, but increased his spiritual abilities to interpret his dreams, unlike when he had to tell his dreams to his father and 12 brothers, who with certain maturity could discern the pattern and meaning of his dreams, which also fueled the envy.
TASK: Renew your faith and confidence in God now by saying: Jesus strengthen me, increase my faith, increase my strength and courage to follow you. I close my eyes and mind to distractions and distractions for my destiny is in your hands. Amen
