It started as a normal day in Joseph’s life. He wore a special coat of many colors from his father to prove he was Jacob’s favorite son. It was no question, Joseph was the man! But then things went in a different direction. Joseph had a bad day. His brothers turned on him and sold him into slavery.
Joseph’s Bad Day
When Joseph arrived in Egypt, he was sold to a man named Potiphar. Potiphar’s job took him out of town a lot. While he was away, his wife, “Mrs. Potiphar,” attempted to seduce Joseph. Joseph refused her advances, but she refused to give up. Every day, she tried to cause Joseph to yield, but he would not compromise. One day, when no one else was in the house but Joseph, she grabbed him by his cloak and tried to seduce him again. Joseph ran, leaving his cloak in her hands.
The spurned Mrs. Potiphar held on to Joseph’s cloak, and told her husband upon his return that Joseph had tried to lie with her. This resulted in Joseph having to move out of Potiphar’s house to a new residence in the local prison. Joseph was having another bad day!
For the next 10 years, Joseph was held in prison. During this time, he met two men, a butler and baker, from Pharaoh’s (the title of Egyptian kings) household. (Genesis 39:20) Both men had been troubled by their dreams. Joseph interpreted the dreams and predicted one man would be executed, while the other would return to his job in Pharaoh’s court. And such was the fate of both men: the butler was released and the baker executed.
From Zero to Hero
The butler promised to help Joseph, but after his release, he forgot about Joseph. This was another bad day for Joseph!
Two years later, Pharaoh was troubled by a dream he could not interpret. Now the butler remembered Joseph. Joseph interpreted Pharoah’s dream and, in gratitude, Pharaoh promoted him to second in charge under himself (our equivalent of governor).
From Joseph’s Bad Day to Our Bad Year
Many of us have in the past year experienced the same feelings of discouragement and uncertainty Joseph felt in his 10 years of imprisonment. If we were asked to summarize 2020, COVID-19, the losses of family members, friends, and jobs would probably cross our minds. But at the end of Joseph’s life, he summarized his experience without bitterness, anger, or thoughts of animosity. Instead, he responded to the brothers who had sold him as a slave, “You meant it for bad; but God meant it for good!” (Genesis 50:20)
2020 has been a year of many bad days. It provided unusual challenges for the world as we faced the enemy of COVID-19. At the time of this article’s publication, we have seen the death of over 340,000 Americans.
We were forced to talk about the dynamics of race relationships as we saw protests in our major cities. We saw opportunists use the protests as an excuse to loot local businesses. At times, it felt like we moved from the experience of one bad day, with police brutality involved in George Floyd’s death, to months of bad days with violence and the destruction of property. Many small businesses could not survive the impact of being caught in the middle.
A Silver Lining Beyond the Clouds
Yet amidst the difficult times, we have heard heartwarming stories of those who reached out to assist others rather than throw in the towel. Families grew closer because of home confinement. Random acts of kindness put smiles on our faces. Neighbors got to know each other. We learned new words like “virtual church” and the importance of church fellowship.
Only God can show us the silver lining beyond dark clouds! Thanks to Him, we are still learning positive lessons from this experience.
2020 is now in our rearview mirrors, but our story has not ended. We don’t know what is behind the doors of 2021. But we can still trust the faithfulness of our God. I realize it’s not easy to say these words if you’re having a bad day.
Several days ago, we celebrated the birth of our Lord. It was a bad day for this child to be born. Neither the place nor time seemed right. Jesus’ life was threatened by King Herod soon after His birth. But like He did with Joseph, God meant it for good! Galatians 4:4 reminds us, “But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son. . . .” (NIV)
No matter what has gone on in 2020 or what will come in 2021, you can have peace because our Lord grew up and became a man who died for our sins and rose again. Please follow this link and we’ll tell you how to begin a relationship with Him.
Happy New Year to you and your family! If you have received this peace, send us an e-mail or write us a letter and share your testimony!
Article by Dr. L.W. Edwards
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