(Feb-28-2012) Have you ever had something happen to you or a family member that at the time you felt was simply unjust, not right, hurtful, shouldn’t have happened, and one perhaps you did not understand. I am reminded of the Bible story of Joseph who was sold into a life of slavery by his own brothers. His delightful story is found in Genesis, Chapter 50, and yes, I typed “delightful.” You have to read to the end to get it all.

These incidents seem to hurt all the more when whatever has hurt our hearts comes from the hand of a relative, and let’s be honest here, every person I know has that one relative that really gets under their skin. This person for whatever reason can push the button to make us furious with seemingly little effort. Sometimes, they use the truth unjustly or lie frequently to build up their own case. Most of the time, these feelings stem from gossip, accusations, and a real lack of communication. This story came to be from a friend in Oklahoma and it well illustrates the point I am making.

The story is told about a king in Africa who had a close friend with whom he had grown up over the years. The friend had a habit of looking at every situation that ever occurred in his life (positive or negative) and remarking, “This is good!” One day the king and his friend were out on a hunting expedition. The friend would load and prepare the guns for the king. The friend had apparently done something wrong in preparing one of the guns, for after taking the gun from his friend, the king fired it and his thumb was blown off.

Examining the situation the friend remarked as usual, “This is good!” To which the king replied, “No, this is NOT good!” and proceeded to send his friend to jail. About a year later, the king was hunting in an area that he should have known not to enter. Cannibals captured him and took them to their village. They tied his hands, stacked some wood, set up a stake and bound him securely. As they came near to set fire to the wood, they noticed that the king was missing a thumb. Being superstitious, they never ate anyone who was less than whole. So untying the king, they sent him on his way.

As he returned home, he was reminded of the event that had taken his thumb and he immediately felt deep remorse for his treatment of his friend. He went immediately to the jail to speak with his friend. “You were right,” he said, “it was good that my thumb was blown off.” And he proceeded to tell the friend all that had just happened. “And so I am very sorry for sending you to jail for so long. It was very bad for me to do this to you, my friend.”

“No,” his friend replied, “this is good!”

“What do you mean, “this is good!” How could it be good that I sent my friend to jail for a year?”

“If I had not been in jail, I would have been with you and would have been eaten because I am whole.”

There is always something to be thankful for, no matter what, so if you are under persecution today, or someone is making your life miserable, remember, if you can, that God may be working out something good for you. It may not seem like it just now, but God’s plans are so far superior to our own. Joseph said in Genesis 50:20, “But as for you (speaking of his own brothers), you thought evil against me, but God meant it for good to bring to pass, as it is today, to save much people alive.”

“All things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28)

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