Biblical Leaders: Joseph
There are so many interesting things in the story of Joseph. Just so we’re clear, we’re talking about the Joseph with the multicolored coat from Genesis, not the earthly father of Jesus.
We see two extremes in the life of Joseph. On one end we see a young, arguably spoiled, dreamer who may have been a favorite of his father but not his brothers. On the other side we see a seasoned young man who became one of the greatest leaders a country had seen. What is it that caused this immense transition? In a word, hardship.
We know that Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers (Genesis 37) and eventually sold into slavery in Egypt. I can’t imagine all he endured through that journey. Joseph remained Joseph though.
The idea of integrity is one of honesty and strong moral principles. I’ve heard it said that integrity is who you are when no one is watching. That the person you are in your home is the same person you portray in your ministry, job, or organization. Joseph was a man of integrity. He was the same guy in prison as he was in Potiphar’s house, the same in the pit as he was before Pharaoh.
I don’t think any of us would want Joseph’s life. We may want the later part, when he’s the Chief Operating Officer and running the show but we’d want to know what does it take for us to get the COO name tag without going through all the other stuff. Integrity is both formed and revealed throughout the difficult times of life. Much like a diamond is formed from coal from time and pressure, or the purest gold comes from the hottest fire, we have to walk through the hard stuff to get where we want to be. Even in that, we have decisions to make. Decisions to rise above and press on in being who we were meant to be or the decisions to give into peer pressure, trends, or the lesser self.
You’ve probably heard it said, “right place, wrong time.” For me, I think it’s probably safe to assume Joseph struggled with some of that feeling at times but maybe i’m wrong. More than that, I think Joseph would look back and say “right place, right time.” He even speaks out that he sees the bigger plan God was doing (Exodus 50:20).
One of my favorite quotes is by Cheryl Strayed. She says, “you don’t reach the mountaintop from the mountaintop. You start at the bottom and work your way up. Blood is involved.”
Wow! Let that quote sink in a bit. In fact, read it again and then let it sink in. Joseph understood that. He trusted God’s plan and process, held close to his integrity, and reached the metaphorical mountaintop. No matter how old you are or when you may be reading this, you already know that life is hard and even brutal at times. Like Joseph, we are faced with decisions. When those moments come may we choose to trek on upwards towards that mountaintop even knowing “blood is involved.”