Scars Of Suffering

Scars of Suffering

Joseph hurried from the room because he was overcome with emotion for his brother. He went into his private room, where he broke down and wept. Genesis 43:30

It has been said that the most painful cuts of all are the ones inflicted by those closest to us. Surely Joseph’s life exemplified that truth. In Genesis 43, the sight of his younger brother, Benjamin, was a painful reminder of his older brothers’ cruel deception. Though God had granted Joseph favor during the dark days of slavery and his years in prison, the young man standing in front of him represented undeniable proof of what Joseph had lost: not only a brother but also his beloved father and his homeland. He had suffered for many years at the hands of wicked people, including those of his own half brothers.

Surely Joseph was tempted to repay them for their evil deeds. He held a position of great power. He could have punished his brothers a thousand times over for their actions. But instead, he blessed them by inviting them into his home for a meal. He devised a plan that would actually save their lives and provide for their families during the famine. And he chose to extend forgiveness, using the results of his suffering to give them what they didn’t deserve. When others affect the course of our lives, we, too, face a moment of truth. Although we can’t change the past, we have the power to affect the present and the future. We can feed the fires of bitterness, or we can hold our scars before God and ask him for the grace to forgive the past and give out of love’s sacrifice. —CHERI

Lord, I can’t change the past, but I give you my hurts and scars, believing that you can bring life out of death and pain.

God will not look you over for medals, degrees, or diplomas, but for scars.

—ELBERT G. HUBBARD (1856–1915), AMERICAN WRITER AND PUBLISHER