Broken Holidays

The end of the year is, for many, the most wonderful time of the year. However, for a number of people, the holidays bring nothing but depressed feelings, bad memories, and a festering of unresolved tensions. These emotions flood during a time when the rest of the world around us celebrates family, friendships, and the many blessings poured upon their lives. Meanwhile, others struggle with far different realities; the holidays can be a stark reminder of their own loneliness, past hurt, and the realization that things will never be the same as they used to be. Due to the “new norm” delivered to us by COVID, political turmoil, and other external pressures in our present world, I think we all share, to some extent, a degree and sense of dread that ordinarily hadn’t been a part of our experience.

Last night before bed, I was reading a few chapters in the book of Genesis. I’ve been working through Genesis for a couple of weeks now, and my next section covered much of the life of Joseph, the beloved son of Israel. Though this section is very familiar to many, certain aspects of the story proved timely as I read along on the night of Thanksgiving.

At 17, Joseph was a young man with great potential. A Golden Child of sorts. He was greatly loved by his father and one of the only 2 children by Jacob’s cherished wife, Rachel. Not only this, but God had great plans for the boy. He began to give Joseph dreams of promise, of power, of honor. Things Joseph could only marvel at during this time.

But he was much despised by his brethren because of all these things.

The road to glory and fulfillment would have been paved far differently had Joseph been leading the project. Soon, Joseph would be sold into slavery by his brothers, who then lied to Jacob claiming he had been killed by a wild animal. As a servant of Potiphar, he faces tremendous temptation from his master's wife, and when he persists against “doing this wicked thing before his God”, he’s falsely accused and cast into prison. While in prison he sees opportunity to bring his innocence to the forefront, and yet is forgotten by Pharaoh’s cupbearer, leaving him in bonds for an extra 2 years. Not exactly the future Joseph had envisioned for himself. Ah! But we read throughout the story a most important statement: “But the Lord was with Joseph.”

Joseph had much justification for discouragement and despair, but throughout this decade away from his homeland and his family God blessed him and caused Joseph to prosper. It’s impossible for me to conceive that Joseph would have been full of joy during this time. Imagine the heartache he must have endured being ripped from his father’s side; Losing his mother in the birth of his little brother; becoming a slave and later a prisoner while having anticipated rather a leadership role. Those nights in the dungeon were, no doubt, terribly dark, cold, and quite— a perfect breeding ground for depression. But… “the Lord was with him.”

As you know, the story takes a turn for the better. God works in such a way to bring Joseph to (essentially) the position of Prime Minister of Egypt, under only King Pharaoh. By this point, however, Joseph was a much different man than the young, zealous and enthusiastic boy who had been sold into slavery. Once his brothers were driven to Egypt to buy food by necessity brought on by the famine throughout the land, Joseph sees his dreams fulfilled. And though the Scriptures attest to the utter wickedness in which the brothers acted, Joseph’s evaluation of the events are as follows: “Now do not be grieved or angry with yourselves, because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life.” (Genesis 45:5) Again, two verses later, “God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant in the earth, and to keep you alive by a great deliverance.” (Genesis 45:7) And once more, after his father’s death, when the brothers were afraid that Joseph might now deal harshly with them, he says to them, “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive.” (Genesis 50:20)

In the end, Joseph understood that God had a purpose in all the things that had transpired throughout his life. Through the tears, the pain, the loss, the injustice, the loneliness, God worked it all together for His glory and Joseph’s good. But never forget that through it all, God was with him. What a glorious testimony to God’s faithfulness in the midst of our troubles! We may not always understand why things have turned out the way they have or why we feel the way we do or why this or that has happened to us, but we ought never to think God’s word will fail. He has promised victory to all in Christ. We may look defeated and even feel as much at times, but “we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.” (Romans 8:37)

A few things we can learn from Joseph’s life:

1. Trust that God has a purpose in all that comes to pass. Do not despise the providence of God in your current circumstances. He works in mysterious ways at times; no surprise there. But remember, “God works ALL things for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.” (Rom. 8:28)

2. Remain steadfast in the fear of God despite your situation. In despair, temptations flourish. Stand fast in faith even with a hurt heart. Never give in to sin because God’s way doesn’t look like the way you would have chosen.

3. We, as Joseph, too have many great and precious promises. Just as it could be said of Joseph that “the Lord was with him,” the same could be said of us. Regardless of the things going on around you or the sadness, pain, and turmoil you may feel, we have been promised by Christ, “Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the age.” (Matt. 28:20) If you have nothing else to celebrate this holiday season or any other time in your life, if you have Christ, you have all you will ever need and more. Jesus tells Paul, who cries out for deliverance from the thorn in his flesh, “My grace is sufficient for thee.” That was enough for Paul. Let Christ be sufficient for us; if we lose all else, let Christ be enough.

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all.

— 2 Corinthians 13:14 —

Amen.