An eye for an eye...

"You meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people a live." Genesis 50:20

These were the words spoken by Joseph to his brothers who have betrayed him. I'm sure many of us are familiar with the story of Joseph and his brothers. How, out of jealousy, Joseph was thrown into a dried well and left for dead. But miraculously, he was saved and brought to Egypt. After being thrown into jail for a crime he did not commit, Joseph earn favour in the eye's of the Pharaoh for his accurate dream interpretation. His life changed for the better and he is appointed to be the 2nd most powerful man in Egypt next to the Pharaoh himself. Then the famine came, exactly as interpreted by Joseph from the Pharaoh's dream. Many people from many land including Joseph's own brothers came to Egypt for food. As the story goes, Joseph forgave the sins of his brothers and the Hebrew's population in Egypt grew and multiplied. While it is easy for Joseph to retaliate all the evil things done to him by his brothers, especially in position of power, he did not. Instead, he sees that God sometimes allows evil things to happen for a greater good.

There are certainly many occasions in my life when I felt betrayed. Betrayed by friends, by colleagues, by family, by 'nature', and the list goes on. I felt angry, envious, outrage, sad, sorrowful and I fell into what felt like a bottomless pit. But, in each occasion, I am able to bounce back, not through my own strength but through God's grace. For in our imperfection, His strength is made perfect in us (2 Corinthians 12:9).

The temptation to retaliate is great and the phrase "an eye for an eye" seems like a feasible solution to remedy my "broken heart". And sadly, I sometimes retaliated only to fully regret my actions later. Well, some people says, just do it and seek forgiveness later... hehehe... but that's not what Jesus would do. In Romans 12:21, St Paul sums it "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good".

I read this quote by David McCasland in Our Daily Bread but I cannot remember which issue. Fortunately, I've managed to write it down in my prayer journal:

"The defining moment of our lives are not determined by the evil done to us, but by our response through the grace and power of God - David McCasland"

O Lord, grant me your strength in challenging times of my life and let me be the light shining through the darkness that many will see my good works and glorify my Father in heaven. Amen!