Have you ever felt like God was punishing you because you were going through a rough season in life? I think a lot of people fall into that kind of thinking. We assume that if we do what God wants, life will be easy—but when we look at Joseph, his life was anything but easy. He was born into a family where his father openly favored him. Now, to be fair, Joseph probably shouldn’t have rubbed that in his brothers’ faces—but selling him into slavery? That was a bit excessive. Then Joseph served Potiphar faithfully and even resisted the temptation of sleeping with Potiphar’s wife. And what did he get in return? Prison time. That had to be incredibly frustrating. But all of that hardship was positioning him exactly where God needed him to be—to eventually deliver his people, preserve food during a famine, and even soften not only his own heart but his brothers’ hearts as well. So when you’re going through a hard season, and you know it isn’t the result of something careless or wrong you’ve done, remember this: you’re in good company. Many of God’s greatest servants have suffered deeply. But they were never alone—God walked that path with them. Not only did He walk with them, but He used their suffering to shape them into gentler, stronger, more refined people—people whose stories would go on to impact God’s kingdom in powerful ways. So take a step back and look for the silver lining in your struggle. And most importantly, cling to God as you walk through the hard season.
