My heart is so heavy for anyone suffering with a chronic illness or a disability ~ mostly because I am someone who never chose to be a member of this group. It’s so different when the shoe is on the other foot. Before this muscle disease presented itself, I didn’t have much compassion or empathy for others who suffered. I had no clue and had a real shallow view of hardships. Over the years, I’m learning that God will reveal things to us that otherwise would have never come our way if not for being in the pit of adversity. Adversity builds strength and character. I now know that many others can also receive great insights and blessings through what we have gone through.
Thank God the Bible gives us examples of others who walked in faith in the midst of adversity ~ adversity that at times, seemed very cruel and humanly impossible to overcome. It’s these “Heroes of Faith” that give me inspiration and motivation to keep plugging along.
Someone I look to as a great example is Joseph in the Old Testament ~ He was sold by his brothers into slavery as a teenager. But before this happened, Joseph had two dreams; both times, the dreams implied Joseph would become a great leader who would have authority over his brothers.
Joseph was taken to Egypt by the slave traders his brothers sold him to. The slave traders then sold Joseph to Potipher, who was an official of the Pharoah to be his house servant. Potipher’s wife tried to seduce Joseph. Because Joseph was a godly man and had integrity, he refused her. Potipher’s wife was outraged and accused Joseph of raping her. Potipher got wind of this, seized Joseph, and put him in prison. You can say that Joseph found himself up to his neck in adversity.
While Joseph was in prison, he interpreted a dream for one of his cellmates, who just happened to be the Pharoah’s Cupbearer. He promised Joseph that he would do whatever he could for Joseph if he ever got out of prison. Well, the Cupbearer got out, but he forgot about Joseph. Joseph rotted in jail for another two years!
So now Pharoah has some disturbing dreams and his wise men can’t tell him the meaning of these dreams. The Pharoah’s Cupbearer remembers Joseph, and tells Pharoah about him. Pharoah orders Joseph to be brought to him. Joseph was able to interpret Pharoah’s dreams… There would be seven prosperous years followed by seven years of famine in the land of Egypt. Joseph told Pharoah that the solution to this problem would be to store up some grain from the seven plentiful years, and then the later seven years of famine wouldn’t destroy the nation.
Pharoah was thrilled and so impressed with Joseph’s wisdom, that he made him second in command in all the land of Egypt! Only Pharoah himself had greater authority! The Bible says that Joseph was now thirty years old. Do the math…his troubles started in his teenage years, and he didn’t come out till he was thirty! It took at least 13-15 years!
The dreams that Joseph dreamed before all of his troubles started eventually came true. How often do we think our dreams are dead? Our dreams seem to wither and die in the midst of adversity. I have to believe that God will give us our dreams back…and I have to believe than God has prepared an amazing future for each one of His children……
I encourage you to read this story of Joseph yourself… it starts in Genesis 37. All throughout Joseph’s adversity, the Bible tells us that “God was with him.”
At the end of the story, Joseph was able to say, “You meant it for evil, but God meant it for good” Genesis 50