08-17-24

ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
August 17, 2024
People often tell of how Edison failed 10,000 times before finally finding success with the electric lightbulb. I don’t know if that story is historically accurate or not, but it is often used to encourage people to be persistent. It is a nice story, but most of us are ready to throw in the towel when one bad thing is followed by a second and then a third. Ten thousand times—I don’t know. Too often, we begin to allow our first few failures to define us and our potential future. In the Bible, there is a character in Genesis whose name is Joseph. There was great hope and expectations for Joseph, though between his brothers and a whole host of characters, it seemed as if every attempt at living faithfully fell flat. What I appreciate about Joseph (depicted well in the music, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat) is how he never appeared afraid to push ahead. Despite multiple ego-deflating experiences and being knocked down emotionally on more than one occasion, he seemed to look ahead. Even telling his story to a former servant of the Pharaoh who was sitting by Joseph in a jail cell. Those bars and locked doors had to be a sign of defeat, yet he pushed forward with great resolve toward the fulfillment of God’s desired future. The pathway was far from straightforward. It had more turns, obstacles, and apparent dead ends than Joseph could have ever imagined, and giving up would have appeared to be the logical response. But Joseph seemed to always believe that God would make a way.

May I never be afraid to push forward toward your future, O Lord, even when that future appears rather hopeless from where I stand. Amen.