This time...

Family,

In the past, if i missed a blog, it was because of poor planning or poor management of time. I name it. This time, however, it had nothing to do with planning or time managment. Kendra and I got back from Kansas Tuesday night, and then the journey into returning back to work, catching up on the immediate things, took over. But we had some hurdles to overcome. One, because of an unplanned change in childcare, Daniel didn't have anyone to watch him Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday, so Kendra and I took turns.

She watched him Wednesday, which allowed me to come to work. The first day back, after vacation, is always a catch up day. What has happened? How did worship go? I heard it was amazing! Who is doing ok? Do i need to check on anyone? And we had a busy week, apparently. Praise God that everyone is home, at least to my knowledge, and all are doing ok. Well Thursday was my lucky day: I got to spend the day with Daniel. I had planned on Friday being my day to blog, but life took over.

Im not sure whether it was something i ate or something else, but early Friday morning i started to cramp in my stomach, and it has carried on to today. I only write this, because i need your prayers. I thought it was a short day of just not feeling right, but i still dont feel well, and there are more symptoms now than before. I am, as odd as it sounds, praying for food poisoning, so it will go away, but if it doesn't, then tuesday morning i am off to the hospital.

That's why there hasn't been a blog, yet. I just wasn't able to do it. Sorry life got in the way.

But it always does, doesn't it? Doesn't life always get into the way? We meant to go back to school, but it just wasn't time. We meant to go on vacation, but we didn't save up enough. We meant to start a family, but the job promotion was offered. Good intentions have a way of paving a treacherous road to somewhere less enjoyable.

Joseph is no different. He meant to make his brothers suffer, at least a little, in the same way he did, so he could enact revenge, but life got in the way. Or more correctly, God did. When Joseph had a perfect plan in place, God shocked Joseph. Jacob, Joseph's father, was still alive. The one person Joseph was closer to than Benjamin, his father, was still alive. That revelation changes everything.

Revenge was not necessary; reconciliation and reunion were. Staying angry and feeling sorry for himself was trumped by "God meant for good..." And so it should be for us too. When are we going to quit relying on our own will and ability to accomplish things and surrender, totally, to God's? When we do, truly give ourselves over to God, then we can, just as Joseph did, view the world through God's eyes. These are eyes that see good in evil, light in darkness, and hope in despair. And it is these eyes, this faith that will enable us to move forward and become who God created us to be.

In Joseph's case, it led to a family reunion that moved him to tears. For us it could be something greater more amazing, but we won't know unless we let God lead. Amen.

Shalom,
jerry