Thursday, August 4, 2016

Steps- Part 3


We live in a culture consumed by instant gratification. When we want something, we certainly don’t want to wait for it.

I distinctly remember a day in Sunday school when my teacher, for some reason, decided to use the “marshmallow test” as part of her lesson. If you are unfamiliar with this experiment, the objective is essentially to give each child a marshmallow and tell them to wait to eat it, with the promised incentive of an additional marshmallow for waiting patiently. My teacher asked us to hold onto our marshmallows throughout her entire lesson, waiting till she had finished teaching to eat it. The reality is, although I succeeded in not eating my marshmallow, I could not tell you a single thing she said that day because all I was thinking about was eating the marshmallow.

The reason I share this story is because sometimes, I think even as adults, we can fall into the trap of fixating on a specific goal or desire. Although having goals and desires can be a good thing, it becomes a problem when we become blinded to all that is happening around us. While, in my marshmallow example, I simply missed out on what the teacher had to say, the repercussions of fixating on a desire in the grand scheme of life have the potential to be much more detrimental. When we become so consumed with seeing the end of a trial, or reaching a big goal, we run the risk of missing an opportunity to be a part of what God may be doing in that moment.

Over the past few weeks, we have been studying the story of Joseph. Long story short, Joseph was the favorite son of Jacob, and had 11 brothers who were very resentful towards him. He had a gift from God to interpret dreams, and jealousy of this gift was one of the many contributing factors that led his brothers to sell him into slavery. During his time in slavery, it would have been a natural response for Joseph to fixate on coming home, meanwhile disregarding anything else that may have been going on in other people’s lives around him. What is so interesting, however, is Joseph remained faithful AND attentive to the Holy Spirit in this long-term delay of returning home.

In particular, the story we touched on this Sunday about Joseph just blows me away.  In Genesis 40, we find Joseph in prison with a few other people who have close relations to the king: one who was the king’s chief cupbearer, and the other who was the king’s chief baker. One night, both of these men had memorable dreams. By faith, Joseph declares that God has the power to provide an interpretation, then shares what he believes God meant through the dreams (Genesis 40:8). Through all of this, Joseph is given an opportunity to capture the king’s attention by his prophetic interpretation of the dreams, particularly through the cupbearer who was soon-to-be released from prison. However, this hope of getting the king’s attention (with the eventual goal of being released from prison) was contingent on the participation and concern from a third party—in this case, the cupbearer.

The unfortunate reality is, the cupbearer did not remember Joseph after he was released from prison (Genesis 40:23). In fact, it is not until two whole years later when Pharaoh asks for a dream interpretation that the cupbearer remembers Joseph (Genesis 41:9). Can you imagine faithfully serving the Lord, then having to wait two years in prison to be released? That makes my marshmallow feat look pretty pathetic!

What is so remarkable about the story, however, is how it ends. When Pharaoh asks Joseph if he can interpret dreams, his response reflects a consistency in his character. Although he may have been getting a little impatient, he still responds with the humble statement, “I cannot do it, but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires,” (Genesis 41:16).

I think we can all learn something from Joseph and this major delay he experienced. Joseph had a great hope of returning home. Certainly, being in prison for two years and interpreting dreams were not on his agenda. Nevertheless, he allowed God to use him in this challenging time. Furthermore, he gave God all the credit.

Are you currently waiting on God for something? If so, I encourage you fix your eyes on Him. Do not become so distracted by your end-goal that you lose sight of all that God is doing around you. Whether we realize it or not, God has our best interest in mind. Therefore, let us be willing to be used by God, even when circumstances don't go as planned.

Written by: Tamara Sturdivant

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