“You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.”
–Genesis 50:20
Genesis 37-50 tells the story of Joseph, son of Israel (previously known as Jacob). But, Joseph wasn’t just any son. He was Israel’s favorite son out of twelve sons. His brothers envied him. One day when he was away from his father’s protection, they stripped teenage Joseph of his coat of many colors (later they covered his coat in goat’s blood to deceive their father into believing he was killed by a wild beast) and threw him into a pit. Then, they sold him into slavery. As a slave he was promoted, but ended up in prison for obeying God. Twenty years had passed since he had been sold and Joseph had gone from being a prisoner to becoming an administrator of Pharaoh, one of the most powerful men in Egypt. But, God had blessed Joseph with a talent, which would save many lives during the great famine.
Whether the person (who hurt us) intended to harm us or not does not matter. Maybe they slipped up and unintentionally hurt us or perhaps they intentionally plotted to hurt us (as an act of jealousy, revenge or malice). It doesn’t matter. God may use it to bring about good. Elizabeth Elliot wrote “His will that I should be burned? Here we must tread softly. His will governs all. In a wrong-filled world, we suffer (and cause) many a wrong. God is here to heal and comfort and forgive. He who brought blessing to many out of the jealous brothers against Joseph means this hurt for ultimate blessing and, I think for an increase of love between me and the one that hurt me.” When Joseph’s brothers journeyed to Egypt in pursuit of food during the famine, Joseph could have withheld his forgiveness from them and denied them the opportunity to buy food. But, instead he chose to bestow love upon them, restoring his relationship with them. Matthew 6:14-15 says, “For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” God has forgiven us for the inexcusable. We must be willing to do the same for those who hurt us. We don’t want to be like the unmerciful servant in the parable of Matthew 18:21-35. After he had been forgiven for so much by the King, he was unwilling to forgive his fellow servant for little. May God grant us the patience and selflessness to confront every situation (no matter how hurtful it may be) with peace and love for those around us. “… for love covers a multitude of sins.” -1 Peter 4:8 Reflecting on these words, I look back to a situation, which I did not handle with the peace and love I should have had. I am grateful to those, who forgave me. And, I realize that seeing them forgive me strengthened the bond of love between them and I. In the end, the act of forgiveness and the acceptance of forgiveness give us a greater capacity to love others. Whether you have hurt someone unintentionally or have been hurt, God may use the hurt for good. Amen.
