Day 64 – Markers of Maturity
Genesis 45:4-7
Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Come close to me.” When they had done so, he said, “I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt! And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you. For two years now there has been famine in the land, and for the next five years there will be no ploughing and reaping. But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance.
Some people manage it first time, but it took one of us three goes to pass the driving test! But there is a freedom that comes when you drive off on your own for the first time. A moment of elation and maturing that has been dreamed of for years.
We all have markers in our life when we look back and compare how much we’ve grown. Leaving school, a promotion, our wedding day; as well as sadder moments such as processing the loss of a loved one. The maturing isn’t in these moments; but is in the process. Often, we associate maturity with specific moments of perceived greater freedom, but it’s actually throughout the journey over time that God does the deep work inside of us.
I imagine this moment of revealing to his brothers his true identity was a marker of maturity for Joseph - a result of many years of prayer and maturing. He had finally found complete peace with the way his brothers had betrayed and rejected him. He managed to forgive them by realising that God had a plan; a purpose to the pain he experienced. He had probably learnt the ability to forgive not in the moment with his brothers, but whilst locked away in a cell for crimes he didn’t commit.
Perspective is key. It’s easy to lose sight of what God might be doing in us when we can only seem to focus on the current opposition we face. But maturity comes from finding God in the moment we are in; trusting the fact he is with us in our pain even when we can’t see him there. Philippians 4:7 teaches us that thanking God in all times and presenting our needs to him, will allow God to fill us with the peace of God that is beyond anything that we can understand. So we don’t need to wait for those rare markers of life changing revelation, as we can access God’s peace straight away by realigning our perspective, and enjoying life’s journey.
Prayer — Father, thank you that I am on the exciting journey of life with you. Help me to see what you are doing over time in and through me. And when I struggle to understand your plan, remind me that all I need to do is praise you, and trust in your eternal perspective. Fill me with your peace today.
James Brumwell & Nick Harding