This was no ordinary Joe.

Over the last few weeks I've been taking a ride along with our good friend in the bible Joseph. What a ride it has been? If you have not had a chance to pull out your magnify glass and look more in depth at his life, then I strongly encourage you to do so starting in Genesis 37.

So we have this golden teenage running around telling his brothers his dreams of ruling over them, sibling rivarly takes over and the brother's sell the dreamer off to slaves. He ends up in Eygpt with a husband and a liar of a wife who tells her husband how Joseph tried to come on to her and then before Joseph knows it he's hanging out in jail. Thankfully Joseph gets on good terms in jail and the prison guards takes to him and confides in him to help him look after the prisoners. Two of the prisoners have these crazy dreams and by God's grace he is able to tell the dreamers what they mean. Word later gets out to Pharaoh that this prisoner interperts dreams after the Pharaoh has a wild dream one night that he needs explained. So, Joseph tells what the dream means, Pharaoh's pretty impressed and makes Joseph 2nd incommand.

Worn out yet...we're almost done.

The famine hits, which Joesph had indeed said would happen from Pharaoh's dream and these unruly brother's of Joseph come walking into Eygpt to buy some food. Joseph knows who they are and accuses them of being spies, but sells them the food and secretly places the silver they bought the food with back in their bags. The bros. leave and find out the silver is in their bag, stunned they tell their father. Once the food is gone, dad tells the bros. to head back, get some more, but the bros. remember the man who sold it to them said he wouldn't sell them anymore until they brought the youngest brother to see him, so they load up the youngest for the ride.

Now the kicker of an ending we see is how Joseph finally confesses to his brothers his identitiy, immediately forgives them and invites them to dinner. I don't know about you all, but this part of the bible is a goosebump moment for me. Secretly (don't think less of me), but I still sit here amazed at the forgiveness blessed upon Joseph's heart. It would be so hard to not tell them off and refuse to help your own flesh and blood who left you to rot in slavery.

Even as a woman in love with Jesus it is so hard to forgive. Being completely real I can think of many a time when I took the control and refused to forgive. Sound familiar? It may be the gal that cut you off on the freeway, or the husband that forgot to take out the trash, or the friend that let you down. Regardless of the situation, we have to clear it out and forgive. Our loving Father doesn't want us to spend are precious time being consumed with anger or hate, He wants it focused on these amazing blessings He has laid before us.

It's hard friends, but God blessed Joseph with the words to forgive at a moment when it would have been much easier to turn the other way. We can rest a sure that in our forgiveness moments that if we stop for a second and listen God will do the rest. Today I encourage you to pray and practice this...I'll be doing it to.