Holding a Grudge

Family drama! The Bible seems to be full of stories like this one, in this case siblings who were so jealous of their younger brother that they sold him into slavery. Now that he was in a position to get his revenge on them, with their father dead, he had a choice. I try to imagine myself in Joseph’s position, and I know that, apart from the love and forgiveness of God that I have experienced, I would not have been so gracious.

You do not get to choose your family. Perhaps you have experienced something devastatingly similar in your relationships that has deeply hurt you. This verse shows us that there were deep emotions within Joseph, and perhaps he was a bit torn between holding a grudge against his brothers, and choosing to forgive them, but the difference that I can see in this situation is that Joseph saw the hand of God in his circumstances.

But Joseph said to them, “Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. (Genesis 50:19-20)

This made the difference between holding a grudge and choosing to forgive. Though it must have been hard to acknowledge that God had used Joseph’s brothers in such a way as to bring about the deliverance of Egypt, Joseph firmly believed in the goodness of God, no matter what happened to him.

Is it possible for you or me to let go of grudges against family members who have hurt us? (The alternative is to carry something that will eventually eat us alive, if we let it.) I also am struck by the fact that Joseph asked, “Am I in the place of God?” He recognized that forgiveness was what God wanted him to do.

Father God, it is amazing how you taught Joseph to forgive rather than to hold onto a grudge against his brothers. Please show me how to live in this same freedom. Amen.

Throughout this day: Are you holding onto a grudge? Open your hand before the Lord, and ask him to give you the freedom to let it go. Depending on what someone has done to you, this is not an easy choice, but take heart that Joseph is an example for all of us who struggle with this hurt.