Joseph

The kids I work with each week tend to be an exaggerated picture of how adults like myself are. One kid gets upset because another took too much cheese, another gets mad because he didn't get a third cup of applesauce, etc. Such conflicts are always present.

Then we got to the part where we talk about Joseph. If ever there was a guy who didn't get his “applesauce,” Joseph was that guy. His brothers sold him into slavery when he was 17. He did right as a slave, and that got him his second job as a prisoner. Joseph was left to rot. I'm sure there were times he thought he'd never get out.
 

Finally, at the age of 30, Joseph was released from prison. After 13 years of hardship, God propelled him into a powerful position where Joseph was able to save countless people by preparing for the upcoming famine. He was the second most powerful man in Egypt, which really meant he was the second most powerful guy in the world. That's quite a career change from his previous job.

The most notable thing about Joseph is his attitude. I have no doubt he had his rough moments—who wouldn't? His actions, however, always show that he chose what honored God—even at great personal cost. When his brothers—the same brothers who sold him into slavery—came to Egypt during this famine for grain, Joseph had his chance to give all that hardship and misery back. Of course he didn't, but that's not the part that gets me. The part that gets me is where he tells his brothers they weren't the reason for his hardship, God was. Joseph explains that God caused him to suffer through all those things so Joseph could save his brothers. God's plan is so much bigger than we can imagine—especially while we're going through it. The part that blows my mind the most is how grateful Joseph was for all his suffering.

...And I'm still upset about the applesauce.