Trust Carefully

"But Joseph had recognized his brothers, although they did not recognize him... Now Joseph said to them on the third day, 'Do this and live, for I fear God:  if you are honest men, let one of your brothers be confined in your prison; but as for the rest of you, go, carry grain for the famine of your households, and bring your youngest brother to me, so your words may be verified, and you will not die.'. And they did so."  -Genesis 42.8, 18-20

Finally, after all of these years, Joseph comes face to face with his brothers again.  He hasn't forgotten them, but they think he's dead of maybe a lowly servant.   They aren't looking for him anywhere let alone number two in command of Egypt.  Plus that was close to twenty years ago.  He was I his teens when they sold him, now he's a man.  

It could have been an immediate family reunion.  Joseph shows them who he is, they apologize, everyone's happy.  But that isn't what Joseph does.  He was deeply wounded by these guys years ago, and so he doesn't just blindly trust them.  He is careful and he takes his time, waiting to see who they are now.

Men, let us learn to trust carefully.  How many times have we rushed into a decision or relationship and gotten burned?  I've done this many times, and the pain and let down that often follows is an unnecessary hardship to bear.    But if we trust carefully, is we test the waters before we fully commit, or spill our hearts, we save ourselves a lot of grief.

I'm not saying to live a paranoid existence that never let's anyone in.  I'm not saying to never drop the rugged exterior and allow people to see what's beneath the surface.  I'm saying be careful.  Your heart and emotions are previous things.   I'm not saying when someone hurts you trust is over forever.  But at the same time I am saying that when so women hurts you don't fully trust them right away and put yourself in the same position again.

Who knows how the story ends if Joseph just lays it all on the line here.  He doesn't find out if his brothers have changed.  He doesn't find out if they have any regret.  But because he is careful he is able to learn so much.  

Let us trust carefully and make well informed decisions.

"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

To God alone be the Glory!

Strength and Honor

Let Them Go

"But Jacob did not send Joseph’s brother Benjamin with his brothers, for he said, "I am afraid that harm may befall him.'"  -Genesis 42.4

Jacob sends some of his sons to buy grain, some, not all.  Benjamin, the youngest, and Joseph's brother, is kept at home for fear that something may happen to him.  He isn't allowed to take to the road on this adventure with his brothers.  His father is worries and keeps him safely at home where he can keep an eye on him.

I understand Jacob wanting to protect his child, but here we have the first record of an over protective parent.  Jacob is worried something will happen to Benjamin, and he doesn't let him go.  

Men, we can't be everywhere at every moment with our children, we just can't, and it isn't healthy for us to be the helicopter dad that never let's the kid out of arms reach.  Yes, there are times and situations when that is exactly what you need to do, but we have to learn to let them go.

The day will come when they leave for the first day of Kindergarten, you can't be there with them.  They day will come when they go off to college, and you are staying home.  They graduate and move out of state, and you aren't moving in with them.  We have to be able to let go, and if we want our children to do well during these moments, we have to give them the opportunities to try before hand.

Now, of course, I urge wisdom and caution.  Know where your children are, who they are with, and what they are doing.  Jacob would have known, Benjamin's with his older brothers on the road to Egypt to buy grain.  Don't allow your children to engage in harmful and destructive behavior, and keep them away from those who seek to lead them astray.  But don't hold them back from the good experiences, encourage them to take them.  As you do they'll learn confidence so they are able to take the big steps when the time comes.

And if you're not sure how to begin my suggestion is prayer.  Start with something simple, "God, protect them from the things I can't keep them safe from.  Watch over them when I can't be there to do it."  Remember your children aren't yours, they are God's.  He has entrusted them to you, and He is always watching over them.

Men, don't hold your children back from living life, let them go.

"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

To God alone be the Glory!

Strength and Honor

Act

"Now Jacob saw that there was grain in Egypt, and Jacob said to his sons, 'Why are you staring at one another?'. He said, 'Behold, I have heard that there is grain in Egypt; go down there and buy some for us from that place, so that we may live and not die.'. Then ten brothers of Joseph went down to buy grain from Egypt."  -Genesis 42.1-3

There is a problem, there is no food in Canaan.  But there is rumor that Egypt has grain to sell.  And yet the sons of Jacob haven't taken any initiative to go and get any.  They can't go work the fields, or tend the flocks, and so their days are spent sitting and staring at each other thinking about how hungry they are.  

Finally, Jacob has had enough.  He tells them to get up and do something to save their lives.  Ten of his sons pack for the journey and head south to Egypt.

Men, when things get bad it's easy to sit around and complain about it.  It's easy to dwell on how good things used to be, and just resign yourself to complacency because it isn't that way any more.  But in action leads to death.  In times like these, a man must act.

This is why we need a plan.  Jacob had reason to believe there was hope in Egypt, they didn't just go wandering around hoping to find food.  They went where they had heard food would be.  If we just act blindly the situation gets worse, so before we act we need a plan of action.

And we also need to know that when help is available, it's ok to accept it.  Let's be honest for a minute, men don't like to receive help.  We hate the fact that we need it.  But the fact is there are times we do.  And when those times come and help is available, let us not be too proud to accept it.

Men, we need to act.  Nothing gets done when men sit around talking about the good old days.  Problems don't go away because of good memories, they go away when men drive them out.  So when the time comes to act, have a plan, don't refuse necessary help, and act.

"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

To God alone be the Glory!

Strength and Honor