If you could tell your twenty-year-old self what your life looks like today, how would he or she respond? If you’re anything like me, you would have some questions!
Life doesn’t turn out the way we expect, and it certainly didn’t turn out the way Joseph expected. If he were to write a letter to his younger self, I wonder if he might share some wisdom that young people today need to hear—and all of us need to remember.
Have big dreams but hold them loosely.
One trait I love about young adults is their ability to dream big. Life hasn’t jaded them, and they still believe anything is possible. The challenge is to keep a humble spirit and let God mold their plans.
Joseph learned this lesson the hard way. He had big dreams—literal ones, that involved his father and brothers bowing down to him. Teenage Joseph boasted about these dreams to his brothers who already resented him for being his father’s favorite son (Genesis 37:3-10). His dreams only fueled their hatred, which they chose to act on with terrible results.
No matter our age, God has good plans for us. Too often, though, we rush ahead of His timing or become proud of the ways God has blessed us. Perhaps we “make plans” without seeking His guidance first. Whatever dreams God gives us, may we take Proverbs 3:5-6 to heart. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths” (ESV).
Get ready for conflict.
God did have big plans for Joseph, but he had no idea what he would endure before they came to pass.
- His jealous brothers sold Joseph into slavery and lied to their father that a wild animal had killed him (Genesis 37:18-36).
- Purchased by Potiphar, Joseph excelled as a servant in his house until Potiphar’s wife blackmailed Joseph because he refused to sleep with her. Potiphar imprisoned Joseph, but Joseph found favor with the keeper of the prison (Genesis 39).
- In prison, Joseph interpreted the cupbearer’s and baker’s dreams, but the cupbearer forgot about Joseph when Pharaoh reinstated him (Genesis 40)
- Two years passed before the cupbearer remembered Joseph’s ability to interpret dreams, and Pharaoh summoned Joseph to explain his dreams (Genesis 41:1-14).
Genesis 41:46 states that Joseph was thirty years old when Pharaoh promoted him—thirteen years after his brothers sold him as a slave (at around seventeen, his age in Genesis 37:2).
Most of us won’t experience betrayal and imprisonment like Joseph, but each of us experiences trials. Instead of resorting to self-pity or harboring bitterness, we must see these experiences for what they are: consequences of living in a world broken by sin. As Jesus told His disciples, “In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33b).
Rest in God’s sovereignty.
We know the end of Joseph’s story, but Joseph didn’t. At times, all he could see were the grimy sides of the cistern where his brothers had thrown him, the chains of his slavery, and his lonely prison cell. Yet in those desolate places, God never abandoned him. “And the patriarchs, jealous of Joseph, sold him into Egypt; but God was with him” (Acts 7:9).
Do you know that if you’re God’s child, God is with you today? Maybe you can’t see a way out of your situation or believe anything good can come out of your dead dream.
Joseph’s story testifies that it can. Not only did Joseph become second to Pharaoh, but he also saved his family from starvation. After Joseph’s father died, his brothers feared Joseph might take revenge against them, but rather, Joseph saw God’s sovereign hand in his story. “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today” (Genesis 50:20).
Is there something painful in your life right now? Pray with me that God would redeem it as only He can.
Rest in God’s sovereignty.
What advice might Joseph give his younger self, advice that might encourage us today? I think it might be along these lines:
Dear Younger Me, life hasn’t turned out the way you thought. It’s been harder—so much harder—but also better than you could have imagined. Your dreams did come true, but not in the way you thought they would. Looking back, you will see how God used every struggle—He didn’t waste any of it! Life might not look good at times, but God is good, and He has good plans for you.
Author Info
Kristen Hogrefe Parnell
Kristen Hogrefe Parnell writes suspenseful fiction from a faith perspective for women and young adults. Her own suspense story involved waiting on God into her thirties to meet her husband, and she desires to keep embracing God’s plan for her life when it’s not what she expects. Kristen’s books have won the Selah Award and the Grace Award, among others, and her latest novel, Hold Your Breath, is now available. A former English teacher, she now spends most of her time at her favorite assignment to date: being a mom to her toddler. Kristen and her family live in Florida, and you can find her online at KristenHogrefeParnell.com.