Musing on Joseph… and his Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat…
Close every door to me, hide all the world from me,
Bar all the windows and shut out the light.
Do what you want with me, hate me and laugh at me
Darken my daytime and torture my night.
Where? Joseph’s in prison, the victim of a crime he didn’t commit.
Many people are in a place they don’t want to be, through no fault of their own… in their home, work, health, relationships… a prison from which there’s no escape.
Who? Joseph’s family are miles away. Although he feels alone the Bible narrative says he isn’t: ‘The Lord was with Joseph’. His God stays with him through everything.
When we feel most alone and helpless we aren’t…
If my life were important I would ask: “Will I live or die?”
But I know the answers lie far from this world
Why? Joseph doesn’t ask the easy question: ‘Why has this happened?’ He doesn’t have an answer at this point.
Many ask, ‘Why do bad things happen to good people?’ ‘Why’ questions may be about health, employment, circumstances… Sometimes the hardest start, ‘Why did I…?’
What? Joseph focused on ‘What am I here for?’ attending to his daily tasks, showing he was trustworthy, diligent and hard working.
Sometimes we need to focus on today, looking at today’s responsibilities – work to be done, the phone call to make, people to care for.
Close every door to me, keep those I love from me
Children of Israel are never alone
For I know I shall find my own peace of mind
For I have been promised a land of my own.
When? Throughout the story Joseph has to wait…
With Joseph we may not understand why we are where we are today. Joseph’s growing faith enabled him to trust his God with his future – knowing that there was an unseen bigger plan.
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