Ten years later

Fresh-fallen snow glistened in the sun, blinding Jaedon. He grabbed his sunglasses and put them on. The tree branches lay close to the ground, heavy from the remnants of yesterday’s winter storm. He breathed in the air. He loved this time of year. Could there be anything more beautiful than this white blanket?

An approaching truck interrupted his thoughts. He squinted to see the men who had emerged. One of the guards pointed them to his direction.

Jaedon gasped. Could it be?

Yes. His brothers trudged in the snow toward him. Jaedon pulled his hat further down his forehead, hoping to conceal his identity. He rubbed his beard. Would they recognize him after all these years?

Jaedon cleared his throat. “Can I help you?”

“Hi there,” Larry said. “We’ve run into difficulties with our business and heard Pascal could help.”

Jaedon clenched his fists. Did they run the business into the ground? He had tried so hard to keep it afloat. Where was his father? Did he know they sent him away? He wanted to ask so many questions but refrained. An idea came to mind and he needed to hold his tongue for now.

“You do know that Pascal runs a legit business now, right?”

Simon shoved his hands into his pockets. “Yes, that’s why we’re here. Our father would never let us do anything shady.”

Except get rid of your own brother.

Jaedon swallowed his anger. It was time to put the past behind him, but first he needed something. “Okay, we can help but I need to talk to your father before we can proceed.”

“Our father? Why?”

“We need proof of your business. Bring him here and we’ll go from there.”

They agreed and left in their truck.

Five hours later, they returned. Jaedon held his breath when his father stepped out of the truck. The years had taken their toll. He held the urge to run into his father’s arms.

Larry approached. “This is our father, John.”

“Nice to meet you,” Jaedon said. “Tell me, is this all of your sons?”

John glanced at his feet. “Yes, it’s all the sons I have left. I lost one ten years ago.” A tear glistened in his eye.

Years of anger dissipated from Jaedon like air releasing from a balloon. It was time to forgive. He pulled his hat and glasses off.

Jaedon grabbed his father’s hands. “Dad, it’s me. Jaedon.”

His brothers stepped back, mouths open.

John gasped and wrapped his arms around Jaedon. “My son. I thought I lost you.” He sobbed.

“I’m here.”

Jaedon glanced at his brothers. “I forgive you.”

Can you imagine what went through the minds of Joseph’s brothers when they finally recognized the brother they sold? Fear? Definitely. They knew Joseph had the power to throw them all in prison. Do you think they regretted what they did? Probably. This is one of the greatest stories on forgiveness ever told.

First, Joseph tested his brothers. Can we blame him? Look at what they did to him. He had every right. He decided to use them for a little while longer before revealing his identity. He put them in prison for three days and then sent one of them back to get their youngest brother. Was this wrong? Hard to say. He didn’t sin by what he did. I’m not suggesting we test someone who has wronged us but perhaps there’s something to learn from this. Maybe it’s just that some people don’t realize what they’ve done and they need to be shown. Let’s do it gently.

He could have refused them and made them starve. Why didn’t Joseph just lie and say they ran out of grain? He could have gotten his revenge so easily. He refrained because he knew in his heart this was not what God wanted. We need to follow this example. When we’re tempted to take revenge we must look the other way and leave it to God.

Joseph did the unthinkable after being wrong…he forgave. This could not have been easy for him. Years of anger probably festered. However, it tells us that Joseph could no longer control himself and he broke down. He let any bitterness disappear and he forgave. Can we do the same? This is tough when we’ve been wronged but necessary to move forward.

We need to ask ourselves if there is someone in our lives we need to forgive. I’ve been there and I know it’s not easy. However, I knew if I didn’t I would become bitter. We can’t hold on to our pride.

Christ was the ultimate example of forgiveness. He wants us to follow His lead.

Let’s not waste any more time…do the unthinkable and FORGIVE! Today.

Matthew 6:14 (NIV)

For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.

Share with us when you did the unthinkable and forgave. We’d love to hear your “Joseph” story!

Forgiveness by Jim Witter (not Jim in the video though, but his voice)

Listen closely to the words of this song. It’s powerful! This story shows us what can happen when we hold onto our pride and let time slip away. “One little word shouldn’t be so hard.” So true.

 

The Chase Contest Winner!

And the winner is…Diane Spearing. Congrats Diane!

DiAnn Mills will be here on my blog March 11^th!

Be sure to tune in next week for a guest blog by prize-winning author, DiAnn Mills. We’ll also be announcing a contest to win an autographed copy of her newest book in the Crime Scene Houston series – The Survivor. There will only be a few days to get a chance to win, so you won’t want to miss out!