Introduction:
This series takes a creative approach to the Joseph stories. Each day’s reflection imagines what one of the characters might have written in both their diary and their memoirs about the events in that day’s Scripture passage. While this approach sometimes requires us to “fill in the blanks” a bit with regard to what the characters are thinking and feeling, every effort has been made to stay as close to the Bible’s details as possible. The diary/memoir approach underscores how we often perceive—or don’t perceive—God’s hand in our lives.
All Is Revealed
Read: Genesis 45
I am your brother Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt.
(v. 4, NRSV)
If Joseph had written in his diary after the events in this passage, what might he have said? DIARY: I wasn’t sure this day would ever come. I finally broke down and revealed my identity to my brothers. I have to admit, I enjoyed seeing the looks on their faces! I also have to admit that I was more than ready to drop the charade. I had toyed with them long enough. Who was it that said, “Resentment is like drinking poison and waiting for the other person to die”? When Judah offered to become a slave in Benjamin’s place, I finally let go of the bitterness I’d cherished for so long. It’s time I got my brothers back. It’s time I got my family back.
If Joseph had written in his memoirs years after this experience, what might he have said? MEMOIR: As I look back on my life, I can’t help but see God’s hand in both the good and the bad. How does God do that, I wonder? How does God redeem our mistakes? I still can’t say that I’m happy my brothers acted the way they did. But I can praise God for the good that eventually came out of it. Like I told them later, “Even though you intended to harm me, God intended it for good….”
Prayer: Help us to look back at our lives, O God, and recognize your leading and your love. Give us patience as we struggle with the present, and trust as we look to the future.