Genesis 40:1

What goes through your mind when you think about being left alone? Is it a good feeling? Is it a bad feeling? Does it bring up negative emotions? Or do you like being alone? What do we do with isolation. Over the next couple of days, we are going to look at what God does through isolation.

Joseph, though born into privilege, walked a path contrary to the experience of a favoured child. He tasted jealousy, betrayal, slavery, false accusation, and years of imprisonment. Yet every seemingly negative season carried a lesson, shaping his character, sharpening his wisdom, and preparing him for the greatness God had ordained.

It’s easy to give up on one’s dreams. It’s one thing to start with a great dream or with an inspiring vision. But then life happens, and life has a way of attacking, hindering and sometimes even destroying our dreams. In the face of adversity, it is crucial to hold on to what God has promised –and to be inspired by biblical role models like Joseph, who never gave up.

Joseph’s story begins like so many of ours: in a place off the beaten path, surrounded by people who did not believe the magnitude of his calling. However, all of that changed. Joseph was thrust into a grand narrative where God raised him up, not only so that he could fulfill his calling, but also so that he could bless all of those who doubted him along the way.