Your Position is Your Provision to Respond Faithfully
This morning, as I read Joseph's
story and his rise from lowly means to a high and exalted position, it brought
back a memory from my youth. When I was
in my late middle school years, crewel embroidery was the rage. Clothing was embellished with fancy
designs. I can remember making a pair of
bib-pants out of lightweight denim and taking brightly colored yarn to decorate
the pockets and down the leg of the pants.
And yes, I wore them proudly. I
was becoming known within my family as one who enjoyed arts and crafts. At that time, one of my uncles I had a
special bond with, born on the same month and day nineteen years apart, played in
a volleyball league. He had admired my
embroidery work, so I asked my mom if I could make him a t-shirt. Now, what fourteen-year-old girl has a
concept of what might be manly, but apparently, I thought I did. Not only did I plan to use brightly colored
yarns, but somehow bright green sequins caught my eye. We bought an iron-on pattern that we
transferred from paper to the front of a t-shirt, which read 'Bloom Where You're
Planted,' an appropriate saying to recognize when someone does not play their
own position but moves all over the court.
I got busy and presented the handmade present to him on his birthday. As an adult, I can clearly see how very much
my uncle loved his young niece, as he was willing to make that his game shirt,
regardless of the harassment he must have received.
This phrase, 'Bloom Where You're Planted,' re-implanted itself in my
mind as I read Joseph's story in the 39th through 41st
chapters of Genesis. Against his own
desire, Joseph found himself in Egypt, no longer the favored son of his father's
house, no longer dressed in a unique 'coat of many colors' but now positioned as
a servant in the house of his master.
Joseph was not in his preferred dwelling place when he arrived, yet he
bloomed where he was planted by the master of the house. Joseph acquired a great deal of
responsibility and honored God through his service.
After an unfortunate incident and wrongly-accused, Joseph was sent to
prison. Again, not an ideal set of circumstances,
even though displeased with his situation, he turned to God. I can only imagine, Joseph went from wearing
fine clothes to a one-piece jumpsuit, probably with no elements of special
embroidery. Not relying on himself, nor
shaking his fist at authority, Joseph decided to make the best of a bad
situation. He bloomed where he was planted. It became apparent that God favored him as he
was given management level authority while locked behind bars.
It took much longer for release than he expected, but he didn't allow
his attitude to overshadow his insight.
He didn't allow circumstances to determine how he would respond. He trusted in God's plan and continued to
worship Him even in a bad situation. God
provided not only the time but the means through which Joseph would experience
his release. Joseph became known as an
interpreter of dreams. He didn't take
personal credit for acquiring this skill.
Joseph placed himself in the hand of God and became known as the one
through whom God works. No one had to
question why Joseph seemed unusual in the way he handled his less than
desirable circumstances. Everyone that
surrounded him knew that Joseph put his trust in and worshipped God. Doubtless, Joseph recognized the miracle that
had taken place when he moved from behind prison walls to the second carriage
behind the Pharaoh in Egypt. Joseph
never forced his way into his position nor questioned the timing. He made the best of his circumstances, and
God blessed him.
Christmas cards arrived this year, most of them containing notes to remind
us of how people viewed 2020. With each
of these reminders, most inscribed their heart's desire that 2021 would be
better than the past. Have you noticed
how the masses view the circumstances that have surrounded them in these past
months? When I review 2020, I look with
gratitude. Although our freedoms
shifted, there has been ample opportunity to trust and serve God. Maybe the stay-at-home order, mask-wearing,
handwashing, and online church services have created restrictions. Can we agree
that we, too, have been allowed the opportunity to 'bloom where we are planted?' With each season of our lives, God is
watching. Jesus taught that those who
are faithful with a few things, more will be granted (see Luke 16:10). Can you look back over this past season with
different hindsight binoculars? Can you
enlarge the lessons and minimize the inconvenience? Our God is trustworthy through the
storm. Our attitudes should not be
dependent on the circumstances that surround us; how we respond matters. Did your light shine before man during the restrictions,
or did you mirror the attitudes and actions of the world around you? Do others recognize that you are favored by
God? In Joseph's story, we are told that
the LORD blessed the Egyptian house for Joseph's sake (see Genesis 39:5). Those
that surround us receive the blessing of God through us.
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