The Furnace of LeadershipSýnishorn

When the Heart Remembers What the Mind Tries to Forget

He saw him. After all the years, all the pain, all the questions—Joseph laid eyes on Benjamin, the baby brother he hadn’t seen since the day everything fell apart. And it undid him.

He had power now. Position. Pharaoh’s ring on his finger and the whole nation at his word. But in that moment, Joseph was no governor—just a brother whose heart broke all over again. He had to leave the room to weep.

This is what leadership doesn’t always prepare you for—the heartache that lingers. The tears you cry in private rooms. The triggers that show up uninvited when old memories meet present responsibility. The moments when you're doing your job on the outside, but falling apart on the inside.

And yet… Joseph comes back. He composes himself. He chooses grace. He doesn’t lash out or close off. He honours. He feeds. He blesses—especially Benjamin.

Joseph didn’t skip over emotion—he surrendered it. Then he got back to the table. But this is what made him a shepherd, not just a steward.

Dear leader, my encouragement to you today is this: Sometimes the hardest part of leadership is showing up with a full heart and an open hand when everything in you just wants to protect, withdraw, or forget. But the call is to do exactly that, with grace.

Reflection/Discussion Questions:

• Have you ever found yourself leading while carrying unresolved emotions from your past?
• How do you tend to respond—shutting down, pushing through, or turning to God in those moments?
• What would it look like to let God meet you in your private “weeping rooms,” so you can lead with wholeness and grace?