New Year's Resolution - Start writing

So it's 2011 and I have finally stopped holding out on the idea of having a blog.  I actually opened this blog in January of 2008, but got cold feet and decided it was too cliche and/or narcissistic.  Im almost over that now and willing to give it a whirl.  The concept is pretty simple--I try to regularly read the Bible and let its stories and teachings shape my life.  So, once a week I will write about a biblical story or teaching that has particularly moved me.  Here's the first:

I have recently been reading the story of Joseph (Genesis 37-50).  At the end of Genesis 39 Joseph has been falsely accused of raping the wife of his boss--a high-ranking Egyptian official.  To get to this point Joseph has already been ambushed by his own brothers, thrown into a pit, and sold into slavery.  He ends up far from home as a slave in Egypt only to be falsely accused of rape and thrown in prison.

I have heard the story of Joseph countless times, and each time I get to this point my tendency is to champion Joseph as one who refuses to let the unjust circumstances of life bring him down--he is nearly a perfect character who consistently focuses on the positive and maintains such a high-level of integrity and faithfulness that despite his dire circumstances he repeatedly earns the respect of those around him.  I find myself wanting to be as unwavering in the face of trials as he is. But I wonder if perhaps I give Joseph a little more credit than the text actually does.

In Genesis 39:20, Joseph has been unjustly sold into slavery, falsely accused, and thrown into prison in a foreign land; and by Genesis 39:22-23 Joseph is in charge of everything in the prison.  What happened in verse 21?  Did Joseph remain faithful to his faith and keep his focus on God?  Was Joseph unwavering in the face of this trial?  Did Joseph let this negative circumstance affect him? . . . We don't know, the story doesn't tell us--and the importance of that fact should not be overlooked.  Verse 21 says, "the Lord was with him, he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden." At this point in the story the author cleverly shifts our attention from Joseph to God--why?

In my life I am constantly battling this misconception that God will reward me based on my performance.  I read this story of Joseph and if I don't check myself I will walk away with the idea that I need to be more like Joseph so that God will bless me like he blessed Joseph.  So I turn the sinful, selfish, complex character of Joseph into a one-dimentional, selfless, saint; and I beat myself up because I always fail to respond like Joseph.  But, I wonder if Joseph actually sat in that prison cell totally demoralized and ready to give up on life and faith.  I wonder if maybe what pulled him out of his depression was a prison guard that believed in him and repeatedly showed him kindness.  I wonder if Joseph failed sometimes--just like I do--but God in his kindness and grace gave him another shot.  We will never know how Joseph initially responded to being thrown in prison, and that, to me, is the beauty of the moment.  We will never know because the significance isn't found in Joseph's performance--the significance is found in God's grace.

My significance is not found in my performance, my significance is found in God's grace.