From a worldly perspective, Joseph had every right to be angry with his brothers. They rejected his dreams, ridiculed him, threw him into a pit, sold him into slavery, told his father that he was dead, and never went to look for him. Joseph succeeded as a servant, but then he was thrown into prison after being unfairly accused of molesting his boss's wife. When he was finally taken out of the prison to interpret Pharaoh's dreams, he could have been an angry, bitter man. But that was not the case. During the years of suffering, Joseph had allowed God to mold his heart with mercy and humility. Suffering can bring the fruit of righteousness when we allow God to use it in our lives, or it can wreak havoc when we reject God and become bitter.
Fanny Crosby was born in 1820 and lived to be ninety-five years old. During her lifetime, she wrote over eight thousand hymns of worship, many of which we sing today. She also ministered to the poor and hungry and shared the gospel avidly.
Fanny could have been an angry, bitter woman. When she was six weeks old, a self-proclaimed but unlicensed "doctor" told her parents to put mustard powder in her eyes to heal an infection. As a result, she was left blind. Fanny never felt bitterness in her heart toward this man. In her later years an evangelist met her and said to her, "It's too bad you're blind." She stopped him and said, "If God gave me the choice, I'd ask to stay blind, because when I get to heaven, the first face I see will be the face of the one who died for me." Fanny chose to see the Lord's face of grace and mercy. She chose not to look at difficult obstacles but at challenges.
Sometimes we feel as though our lives are "stuck," as though we aren't free to accomplish much. Three simple steps could help: First, identify any bitterness and anger. Second, change your perspective. Stop saying: "Why me?" and start asking: "What do you want to accomplish in my life through this?" Finally, ask God for strength and courage to release bitterness and move on in forgiveness.
Let the perfect Gardener start cleaning up the garden, as he pulls out the weeds to make space for even more fragrant flowers. The best perfume is made by the crushing of beautiful flowers.
"In all these things we have complete victory through him who loved us!" (Romans 8:37)