Coffee Break - The Destination

Coffee Break

"The Destination"

On the subject of spiritual journeys, I can't help but think about my favorite Bible character--Joseph.  When we think about Joseph, we think about all the things he endured.  It is easy for us to see that he was on a journey-- a journey from his father's house to the palace in Egypt.  But we don't realize that he was really on a spiritual journey.  Every spiritual journey is played out through physical journeys. 

What Joseph suffered in the natural was producing something spiritual in him. Being betrayed by his bothers would teach him how to love his enemies, bless them that cursed him, do good to them that hated him, and pray for them which despitefully used and persecuted him.  It taught him how to leave revenge in God's hands.  Being lied on about Potiphar's wife would teach him how to let God fight his battles for him, and that it is better to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.  It taught him how to stand firm when temptations came regardless of the outcome.  When he was sold into slavery, it taught him that God orders his steps and knows how to orchestrate things in order to get him to where he needed to be.  When he was taken from his home into a strange land where he knew no one, he learned how to really trust God because he had no one else.  When he was in the prison, he learned that God can give you favor no matter where you are, and that He never leaves you. When he went to the palace, he learned that all things truly do work together for the good.  Through all that he suffered, he learned to be at peace and rest in God's presence and plan.

All the things that he went through produced something spiritual in him that he needed in order to fulfill God's purpose for his life.  Did he understand it while he was going through it?  Probably not-- we usually don't.  Did he always like where he was at?  most likely not-- I am sure he would have much preferred being with his father and living in comfort and freedom instead of slavery.  Like Joseph, through the things we go through in life, they can produce and change things in our hearts that will glorify God and put us at the destination he has called us to.

Have a great day.  What you are going through may actually be a spiritual journey in disguise.