Student Leadership: HonorSample

Day 2 — Look Up

Joseph was in jail for something he didn’t do, suffering for a crime he never committed. He had managed to go from a favored son to a foreign slave to a falsely-accused prisoner. It looked as though he was moving backwards in life. And yet, Joseph didn’t become bitter or take his pain out on those around him. In fact, he continued to show honor in spite of his situation.

While in prison, Joseph inherited two cell mates when Pharaoh got angry with his cupbearer and baker and sentenced them to jail too. Each of these prisoners had a dream that left them distraught, and Joseph noticed their anxiety.

So he asked Pharaoh's officials who were in custody with him in his master’s house, “Why do you look so sad today?” “We both had dreams,” they answered, “but there is no one to interpret them.” Then Joseph said to them, “Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell me your dreams.” Genesis 40:7-8 NIV

Joseph knew a thing or two about dreams. Back at his father’s house, he had wanted those around him to listen to his dreams. Now here he was, listening to the dreams of others while his own still remained seemingly unanswered and unfulfilled. Talk about a painful reminder on top of an already painful situation.

Yet Joseph chose to look up from his own pain to see the pain of the two men closest to him. Though he didn’t know it at the time, in honoring others where he was, Joseph unlocked the door to where he would be later on — a ruler of Egypt.

It can be really easy to get blinded by your own pain and desires. And in a world where “me-first” is the trend, dismissing the pain of others is something we do without a second thought. But that’s not how God calls us to respond.

1 Corinthians 12:26 (NIV) says, “If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.”

We honor those around us when we take the time to check in and see how they are actually doing. We show honor when we take a moment to look up and notice that someone else is also struggling and then seek ways to help them — even if it’s just lending a listening ear.

You’ll never be able to honor people you’re too busy to see.

In a culture that lives with a “me-first” mindset, how can you pay attention to those around you this week and show them honor? Who in your life needs to know they are seen and they matter?