Training Ground

ValMay ♦ August 10, 2024 ♦ Leave a comment

The Olympics are on. I love watching the talent of these athletes. It is astounding how in shape they are and how hard they have worked to get to the world’s top athletic stage. They have sacrificed, worked hard and focused on their goals to reach this level of competition. They have trained harder than the average person, found mentors to help them and have to have had a singleness of purpose to get to this place in their lives. 

The truth is we should all look at life as a training ground: A journey that builds on all of life’s events, all the ups and downs, and our response to them; to grow us up, mature us; along with opportunities to learn wisdom and character and trust our Creator. A story reflecting this is the life of Joseph. A favorite son of his father, he was hated by his brothers, showing total lack of wisdom by telling them his dream of them bowing down to him, not once but twice. He was young, apparently oblivious to his brothers’ feelings toward him, somewhat spoiled and obviously had yet to learn wisdom.

But look at his life’s journey. Thrown in a pit by his brothers, then sold into slavery, a slave to Potiphar, the king’s captain of the guard, he went from favorite son to lowly slave, but worked hard, rose up the ranks in trust and ability to be the manager of the whole household: tempted by Potiphar’s wife, did the right thing but was thrown in jail anyway and back to square one -it seemed -as a prisoner. But Joseph worked within the circumstances dealt to him. He did what was right, obedient to the teachings of his God, worked hard and rose again to manage the prison and prisoners; made some friends, interpreted dreams for two of the Pharaoh’s staff, asked them to remember him- but they forgot- which had to hurt deeply and he was in that prison two years longer before the cupbearer remembered to tell Pharaoh about Joseph. So essentially, Joseph spent the prime years of his life as a slave and a prisoner, yet it was during this part of his life journey that Joseph developed  a stronger faith and trust in the Lord, gained wisdom, and gained the skills necessary for the next part of his journey – he stands before Pharaoh in humility ( a far cry of how he stood before his brothers so many years before) and with the wisdom he gained he respectfully told Pharaoh that it is the Lord and not him that reveals the meaning of dreams.  He ends up running the affairs of Egypt, saving that nation and also his family and nation. 

Now you are probably saying that you are going through some rough times but that you are pretty sure you won’t end up saving a nation, but the Lord will use you right where you end up and you may be the only light in your family, your work, your neighborhood, or to one hurting person that needs desperately to hear about the hope within you! And who knows what we are all being trained for on the next step or our journey beyond this life??? We are told we will rule and reign with Him. How are you doing with your training? 

2 Corinthians 4:16 So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. 17 For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, 18 as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.

2 Timothy 2:12 …if we endure, we will also reign with him

Romans 8:17 … and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.

Romans 5:3 Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

Joseph’s Story is in Genesis 37, 39-49