And he kissed all his brothers and wept upon them. After that his brothers talked with him.
–Genesis 45:15
The story of Joseph is one of most powerful stories of forgiveness and reconciliation in the entire Bible.
Here was a man who was betrayed and sold into slavery by his brothers when he was 17, and then he was falsely accused, imprisoned, and forgotten in prison. Yet Joseph resisted bitterness and grew in godly character.
And when the day finally came when Joseph’s brothers came and stood before him in Egypt seeking grain, he didn’t punish them or retaliate against them. Joseph called them forward and loved them.
Most likely, you have experienced injustice and unfairness like Joseph did. Perhaps someone mistreated you. Maybe you’ve been lied to or betrayed… or perhaps someone even abused you.
Each of us suffers deep hurts over the course of our lives. But you and I can’t change the past. And it does us no good to try to figure out why things happened the way they did.
But here’s one thing you can do. Like Joseph, you can refuse to allow the past to pollute your present or your future. Like Joseph, you can give the precious gift of forgiveness to those who hurt you.
Are you willing to take these steps today?
REFUSE TO ALLOW THE PAST TO POLLUTE YOUR PRESENT OR YOUR FUTURE.
