By Brenda Cannon Henley
If we were being really honest with each other, how many of us would have to say that they dread getting the call from mom or dad alerting them to the next family reunion? Without the very words being said, one can pick up on the fact that this family get together is very important to the caller. They want their family well represented and they want those doing the representing to look right, talk right, and act right. Oh, and to bring the assigned food or drink, and to have fun. I love the mom that told her family, “Look, I’m not really all that excited about spending the day with Uncle Joe and Aunt Sue, but it is important to Mother, so we are going to go, and you are going to have fun. And I mean that.”

What the mother really meant was that her offspring are going to attend the reunion and act as though they were having a good time, no matter how they really felt about the event. Perhaps Uncle Joe has turned into a lush and drinks too much, especially on days where he sees the stage as bigger than normal. And, Aunt Sue is probably a nice enough lady, but she drives the younger folks crazy prying into their personal lives. “When are you going to have a baby?” “I hear your husband got a new job. How much does he make now?” “Are you guys really happy living in that older home?” Questions spew from her mouth with no prompting or even answers provided. All the time, some of the guests are hot or cold, depending on the climate and time of the year, and others are simply tired from working all day or all week. Or, maybe one or more just sense that they don’t fit quite into the clique assigned to them by matrimony or birth.

But we go, mostly to keep peace in the family and not to disappoint our loved ones. Let me add that I know many family members enjoy each other and look forward to spending time in these social occasions, but for others, it is a time of controlled nerves and interaction.

Pastor Paul Hayenge of Community Bible Baptist Church in Pinellas Park, Fl., where my son, Brent, is senior pastor, preached two really good, sound, Bible messages yesterday while my son was speaking in Colorado. After all these many years in church, I found myself enthralled with his message and happy to discover new ground on which to think. Paul is also my Sunday school teacher in the large Auditorium Bible Class, so I felt I knew him fairly well, but the two messages yesterday were exceptionally good.

One was on a family reunion and many of us know the preamble or beginning of his subject matter. Teaching the story of the life of Joseph has long been a favorite Bible story of mine because he was a very good man, we have heroes and villains, and it has a happy ending. Great fodder for a teacher who loves to teach.

In the John R. Rice Reference Bible, we read that Joseph was the son of Jacob and Rachel and that his name means “increaser.” One of the great lessons gleaned in this Scripture is that his brothers sold Joseph into slavery, but later after trials and tests, and because of his honesty and work ethic, he became the prime minister of Egypt. Potiphar’s evil wife tried to trick him into sinning with her, but Joseph kept his composure and fled, although he lost a perfectly good coat. My favorite verse in this entire portion of Scripture is Genesis 50:20 where Joseph tells his brothers, “You meant it to me for evil, but God meant it for good.” Many times in life, we can look back in hindsight and see that the very thing we thought was so horrible and destructive in our lives was the prelude for the very best thing that ever happened in our lives. We may not like it while it is taking place, or even understand why God would allow it to happen, but there will come a day when we can look back and smile, and say, “God meant it for good.”

The last thought of Verse 20 teaches that God brought it to pass, and even on that day, Joseph would have the opportunity to save his own family members and many others by providing food and lodging. His father and brothers had fled from famine, but Joseph in his position as prime minister, had storehouses filled with grain and goods. When he wrapped his arms around his beloved, elderly father Jacob, there began a family reunion as such we can only imagine.

I challenge you to take the time to read the story of Joseph anew if it has been some time since you have studied this Scripture. You will rediscover things you missed before and find new jewels of truth to interest you as you read. Now, let’s enjoy those family reunions being planned for summer.

Brenda Cannon Henley can be reached at (409) 781-8788, or
[email protected]

[4-29-2019]