An "Aha" Moment

Have you ever had an "aha" moment? You know, a time when something suddenly made sense...something that had perhaps puzzled you until then?

This morning I read about Joseph's "aha" moment and it brought tears to my eyes (Genesis 45:3-9). Imagine how he must have felt when he realized that God Himself had ordained his circumstances in order to fulfill His purposes!

About 20 years had passed since his brothers had thrown him into a pit and then sold him into slavery. Twenty years -- that's a long time to brood and plan revenge. Finally his chance comes to get even, but Joseph refuses to stoop so low. Recognizing God's sovereignty frees him from any hint of bitterness. It allows him to embrace his brothers and rejoice at being reunited with them.


I had an "aha" moment a couple years ago when I looked back over difficult circumstances and suddenly saw God's plan in action. When my husband and I were first married, we lived in Nepal where he worked as a civil engineer. We lived in a mud and rock hut with a thatch roof, no electricity, no running water, and no indoor plumbing. I struggled with isolation and loneliness, culture shock, and language learning. We had our first child while living there, and I had no older women to show me how to care for this new baby. When our second child was born with medical issues that required an immediate return to North America, I struggled with reverse culture shock.

Over the years, I often wondered why God asked us to go through what we did, only to bring us back to NA. And then came the "aha" moment.

Now we're the directors of International Messengers Canada, and one of our roles is to provide member care for our missionaries. At the first IM conference we attended, I was sharing this testimony with our missionary women in Eastern Europe when these words came from my mouth: "And so, ladies, when you struggle with language learning, I know how you feel. When you struggle with loneliness, I understand. When you go back to your countries and struggle with reverse culture shock, I get it!" That's when the light came on in my head. Aha!!

God had a plan. He was sovereign over every detail in our lives. He knew exactly what He was doing when He put us into that overseas situation and then took us back to NA. He was preparing us for a ministry that would begin more than 20 years later.

We don't always get to see God's plan -- in some instances, we'll have to wait until we reach heaven. But whether we experience an "aha" moment here on earth or beyond the pearly gates, we can rest in the knowledge that God has a plan and is in control. Let's allow Him to be God -- in that way, we can respond as Joseph did, free of bitterness and anger.

Feeling versus Knowing

Amen to the comment about yesterday's post! When Joseph was betrayed by his family and then thrown into prison for being lied about, I wonder how he felt. Did he feel like God was with him? Or did he have to choose to believe it?

Therein lies the challenge for real life, eh? Heaven help us from living life based on our feelings. Sheesh, we can get ourselves into a lot of trouble that way. And we can find ourselves in a pit of despair, too. The enemy just loves to mess with our minds, feeding us lies to discourage us when we're going through tough stuff. We have to fight back by filling our minds with God's truth and choosing to believe it.

When we live according to God's truth, we can overcome all the negatives that the enemy throws our way. And we can flourish in the midst of the challenges. Joseph's life proves that this is possible.

This morning I read more about Joseph's story. Genesis 41:52 says this: "Joseph named his second son Ephraim, for he said, 'God has made me fruitful in this land of my suffering.'" This really challenged me to think about my response to difficulties.

Could I say that God makes me fruitful in my suffering? Do good things result from my response to hard times? Or do I tend to curl up in a fetal position and wish the world would go away? Do I harbor bitterness? Do I whine about my circumstances and compare my lot to others who never seem to have problems?

I sure hope it's not the latter. I want to learn to embrace difficulties as opportunities to bear fruit, more fruit, and even MORE fruit!

How about you? If you have a story about how God produced fruit through suffering in your life, I'd love for you to tell us about it here.

The Same Lesson -- Take Two

It's been a few days since I posted -- I've been out of town for ministry, and when that happens I don't always have internet access. This will be my greatest challenge when I travel throughout the next few weeks. I wish there was an easy answer to this one. Any suggestions out there?

This morning I read Genesis 39 and was blessed to bits by a phrase that popped up over and over. It's a simple phrase, one that was true about Jacob in the last post. Check it out:

v. 2 -- "The Lord was with Joseph..." (after being sold as a slave to Potiphar)
v. 3 -- "The Lord was with Joseph..."
v. 21 -- "But the Lord was with Joseph there, too..." (in prison after being falsely accused of raping his boss' wife)
v. 23 -- "The Lord was with him..."

Joseph's own siblings sold him into slavery. That must have been a little hard for the teenager to process. And being unjustly thrown into prison would have been another blow to the boy. And yet there's no doubt that God was sovereign in Joseph's life, ruling over the circumstances because He ultimately had a purpose far beyond human understanding.

I LOVE this story! Even when life is difficult, God is with us -- what a tremendous truth to remember and apply to our lives!

When the economy waffles and wavers, God is with us. When our kids get sick, God is with us. When our marriage goes through tough times, God is with us. When a phone call comes and brings bad news, God is with us. When God calls us to get involved in a ministry opportunity beyond our comfort zone, He is with us. What more do we need than God's promised presence? In that reality, we find comfort and hope and courage.