The Pit

   Have you ever felt like you are in a pit? We are not just talking about a 10 foot pit where one little thing happens and you feel like you are in a pit. We are talking about bad thing after bad thing happens and you cannot do anything to control it. Let me give you an example. Let’s say all of this happens over the course of a year: you have problems at your job because of a disagreement with your boss, a person falsely accuses you of something you did not do, you do not get support from people you expect it from, none of your friends seem to care about you enough to check on you, your grandma gets injured, teenagers give you attitude, you lose your job, and the list could go on and on.

   Now, you are in a really deep pit. It seems like one bad thing happens after another and it is not your fault. You do your best and work hard to overcome these obstacles but it does not matter. Does this sound familiar? I know it does for me because it reminds me of a story from the Bible: Joseph.

   Joseph worked hard and followed God. Yet, he was thrown in a pit by jealous brothers, sold as a slave, falsely accused by Potiphar’s wife, thrown into prison for years, and forgotten by the people he helped in prison. All of this did not happen over the course of a year. This happened over the course of a lifetime. Joseph seemed to have every right to give in to temptation, to just give up because there was no way his dreams could come true since he was a slave, or to turn his back on God. But, he did not do any of that. Joseph kept working hard. If he was given a challenge he rose to it. It did not matter that he was knocked down multiple times. He kept doing his best for God. It did not matter that he was falsely accused. He kept doing his best for God. It did not matter that he was forgotten by his brothers, Potiphar, and the cup bearer. He kept doing his best for God.

   If Joseph would have given up Egypt would not have seen his testimony to God, prisoners would not have been reached, his family would not have been restored, and many would have perished during the famine.

   Many times we are like Joseph. We are in a pit that we cannot seem to get out of. Maybe it even seems like we cannot see the top of the pit or the pit keeps on getting lower. But, seeing Joseph’s example helps us realize that no matter what we cannot give up. We need to do what God calls us to do no matter how difficult it is. We need to trust in him and his plan just like Joseph.

   So, when you are in a pit what will your attitude be? Will you choose to do what God calls you to do no matter what circumstances you are in? Will you trust in God?

   Genesis 37, Genesis 39-45, Deuteronomy 31:6, Proverbs 3:5-6

   Image from here.