I was thinking this morning about Joseph and what it must have been like for him in the Old Testament story to be sold into slavery by his brothers. It doesn't tell us much about his faith in his teenage years, but it does appear that he believed even then in God. I wonder if he felt discarded and abandoned when his brother sold him off to go to Egypt? How did he feel when he got thrown down a well. Then when they dragged him back up, it wasn't to help him, but to sell him.
Yet, the story never tells us that God abandoned Joseph. Actually, it says the opposite. It says that God was with him and that each part of the journey Joseph learned something, so that years later he could save the entire region from starvation. Which leads me to say that Joseph learned something about growing where you are planted. Joseph even told his brothers in the story that they meant it to harm him, but God meant it to bring about a deliverance.
I've been guilty of not always appreciating where I am planted. I look over the fence, methaphorically speaking, to see somewhere else I would rather go. I think the place I am at is not good enough or that I am not being used enough. But, Joseph learned that God had important lessons to teach him right where he was in prison. So that, he could be used by God for much greater things later. And when you look at the great men of the church or the Bible, you see sometimes there was a season when they were not in a place where they wanted to be. But, it was not wasted time. Rather, it was a time of purging and refinement. Let me repeat that "it was not wasted time."
Look at Moses, who was taught in the very best Egyptian schools, only to spend 40 years of his life in the desert shepherding sheep. God used both of those experiences to call Moses when he was 80 years old, to do his mission. It literally took 80 years for Moses to be to the point where he was ready. But, once he was ready, God used him in a great way.
There is a difference between vocation and calling. Your vocation is how you get paid. Your calling is the talents and abilities God has given you and what you are suppose to do. Sometimes people are lucky enough for them to match. I think most people don't have that luxury. You might drive a truck during the day, but what your heart really enjoys is teaching the Bible to your Sunday School class. One is your vocation and one is your calling. But, God can use you in both places. The important thing is to think about what your calling is and to use the gifts God has given you.
In thinking about what your calling is, think about what your passion is. What helps you get out of bed in the morning? What do you live for? What brings you joy? What do you get excited about? Jeremiah was called a "weeping prophet", but I don't think that most of the time God wants us to think of our gifts as something that brings us down. Rather, our gifts are closely related to our passion and our heartbeat. It is about who God made us to be.
The other thing I was thinking about is that when God gives us something, he wants us to share it. I think sometimes we don't get more from God because we haven't shared what we already have. When God teaches you something, your meant to tell others. That doesn't mean you stop someone randomly on the street and tell them, but when God gives you the chance, share what you know. This helps us affirm what we have learned and it also in turn, helps someone else. Your a steward of what he has taught you. Share it and help someone else to grow. Grow where you are planted and be thankful that God can use you wherever you are.
Yet, the story never tells us that God abandoned Joseph. Actually, it says the opposite. It says that God was with him and that each part of the journey Joseph learned something, so that years later he could save the entire region from starvation. Which leads me to say that Joseph learned something about growing where you are planted. Joseph even told his brothers in the story that they meant it to harm him, but God meant it to bring about a deliverance.
I've been guilty of not always appreciating where I am planted. I look over the fence, methaphorically speaking, to see somewhere else I would rather go. I think the place I am at is not good enough or that I am not being used enough. But, Joseph learned that God had important lessons to teach him right where he was in prison. So that, he could be used by God for much greater things later. And when you look at the great men of the church or the Bible, you see sometimes there was a season when they were not in a place where they wanted to be. But, it was not wasted time. Rather, it was a time of purging and refinement. Let me repeat that "it was not wasted time."
Look at Moses, who was taught in the very best Egyptian schools, only to spend 40 years of his life in the desert shepherding sheep. God used both of those experiences to call Moses when he was 80 years old, to do his mission. It literally took 80 years for Moses to be to the point where he was ready. But, once he was ready, God used him in a great way.
There is a difference between vocation and calling. Your vocation is how you get paid. Your calling is the talents and abilities God has given you and what you are suppose to do. Sometimes people are lucky enough for them to match. I think most people don't have that luxury. You might drive a truck during the day, but what your heart really enjoys is teaching the Bible to your Sunday School class. One is your vocation and one is your calling. But, God can use you in both places. The important thing is to think about what your calling is and to use the gifts God has given you.
In thinking about what your calling is, think about what your passion is. What helps you get out of bed in the morning? What do you live for? What brings you joy? What do you get excited about? Jeremiah was called a "weeping prophet", but I don't think that most of the time God wants us to think of our gifts as something that brings us down. Rather, our gifts are closely related to our passion and our heartbeat. It is about who God made us to be.
The other thing I was thinking about is that when God gives us something, he wants us to share it. I think sometimes we don't get more from God because we haven't shared what we already have. When God teaches you something, your meant to tell others. That doesn't mean you stop someone randomly on the street and tell them, but when God gives you the chance, share what you know. This helps us affirm what we have learned and it also in turn, helps someone else. Your a steward of what he has taught you. Share it and help someone else to grow. Grow where you are planted and be thankful that God can use you wherever you are.
