Get Over It

Get Over It

Joseph named his older son Manasseh, for he said, “God has made me forget all my troubles and everyone in my father’s family.” Joseph named his second son Ephraim, for he said, “God has made me fruitful in this land of my grief.”

Genesis 41:51-52

I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.

Philippians 3:13-14

Have you experienced a hurt or disappointment that’s so difficult you think you’ll never get better, never stop hurting, never “get over it”?

Joseph had a hurt like that. His brothers sold him into slavery. Then he was falsely accused and suffered in prison for years. He had every right to be bitter and believe he would never be able to get over the betrayal and cruelty and injustice he’d experienced.

But Joseph wasn’t just depending on himself to feel better or get better. Joseph had a deep confidence that God was active in his life and could heal him and use him. And God did use him in amazing ways. Joseph got out of prison and ended up saving many of his people—including the brothers who had betrayed him! To celebrate and broadcast what God had done in his life through his suffering, Joseph gave his two sons very special names. He named his firstborn son Manasseh, which means, “God has made me forget all my troubles and everyone in my father’s family.” God not only enabled Joseph to forgive, he also helped him forget, so his brothers’ betrayal no longer caused a sting in his soul. Joseph named his second son Ephraim, which means, “God has made me fruitful in this land of my grief.” In spite of the hardships he had experienced, Joseph saw that God was blessing his life by using him in significant ways.

This is how God helps us “get over” our hurts. He works in us to give us faith so we can forgive and forget, and then be fruitful for him.

DISCUSSION STARTERS

What’s something you had to forgive a family member or friend for? How did that compare to what Joseph’s brothers did to him?

What do you think Joseph meant by saying God made him “forget”?

In what ways did God make Joseph fruitful?