Can we find anyone like this man, one in whom is the spirit of God? (Genesis 41:38)
I am absolutely loving our current worship series on the life of Joseph. Joseph displayed amazing resilience and trust in God. With each setback, he looked for creative possibilities. No wonder Pharaoh said, "Can we find anyone like this man, one in whom is the spirit of God?"
So not to water down the meaning, but I thought of Joseph this week with my gardening. Unlike Pastor Nicole, I don't have trouble getting my gardening plants to live. I struggle with getting them to produce. I have plants that grow and grow, but just don't produce the vegetables I thought they would. So to have tomato plants beginning to produce beautiful, lush tomatoes after tending them for months, and wake up one morning and see this half-eaten tomatoe is infuriating!
The culprit? Squirrels. They are eating the tomatoes as they start turning red just before being ripe enough for me to pull. My initial reaction is to declare war on the squirrels. I've even had offers from some supportive church members (all men I might add) willing to loan me their pellet guns. But my wife won't let me give the squirrels an early start on heaven.
So she did some research and found where someone came up with a solution for the same problem: put red Christmas ornaments on the tomato plants. Squirrels will decide the large red balls aren't so appealing after all. I'll let you know how that turns out.
Here's the point of my gardening woes illustration. We all face setbacks. Our sense of loss and level of response is usually determined by the investment made and the return expected. If you work super hard to get a promotion only to see someone else slip in at the last minute and take the job, it's more than disappointing. Your thoughts can turn ugly. You may want to retaliate against the colleague, or just walk away altogether. But what are creative responses? How might you find a creative way to deal with your problem?
That's when Joseph helps me. His life is one creative response after another because he faced unfair setbacks over and over again. The secret though was not just mental attitude. Pharaoh nailed it. Joseph had the spirit of God in him. I believe people who don't give in to their human reactions, but pause, ask what might be a more God-honoring response, allow God space to move in and work.
So the next time you are faced with a setback, don't get even, get creative!
Rob