(Gen 39:1) Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt . . .
Joseph had so much going for him. His father showed him favor above his brothers by giving him a coat of many colors. Then God gave him dreams about his future. What a charmed life he had. He had both favor and a future. But we know what happened next. His brothers became jealous of him and sold him to the Ishmaelites who took him down to Egypt. He was bought by Potiphar, an officer of Pharoah, and became a household slave. This became for Joseph the new normal.
Many of us have faced crisis in our lives. Life went from normal to abnormal. Our whole life went into shambles. When the tornado was over we were left trying to make sense out of the devastation. Questions naturally arose. Can anything good come out of this? What do I do now? How do I begin to start over? But as hard as it was you took the first step. And then you took the second. Then as you gained momentum you found your circumstances to be the new normal.
That’s what Joseph did. He accepted the new normal for his life. And not only that, he made the best out of his new digs. (Gen 39:2-3) The LORD was with Joseph, and he was a successful man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian. 3 And his master saw that the LORD was with him and that the LORD made all he did to prosper in his hand.
We read the rest of the story and how he was thrown into prison where he once again made the best out his situation. He interpreted dreams for the chief butler and baker down there. Then one day Pharoah dreamed a dream that no one could interpret. But the chief butler remembered about Joseph who was promptly brought up to tell Pharoah his dream. Through this Joseph was raised to a prominent position where he would one day save his people alive from famine.
How about you? Are you ready to take that first step after the storm? It’s difficult to accept the fact that things won’t be the same as before. But as you embrace the new normal for your life, you will eventually discover that it is a new beginning toward an extraordinary future.
Louie