Joseph and the school of life

I got some understanding from the story of Joseph recently that I want to share. Just like we have sessions and terms in school, Joseph story showed me we also have terms and sessions in life.

1) the first class was in his father’s house, he outgrew that environment and class, it was time to move on to the next class, God allowed the devil, who thought he had won not knowing he was a puppet in God’s hands to push his brother to sell him. The venue for the examination was Potiphar’s House, so he needed to leave his father’s house for this venue. How many of us will willingly allow our children to leave the comfort of home to become a househelp in someone’s house? Nobody. That was why God had to take him without Joseph or the father’s consent to become a boy boy in Potiphar’s house. There he learned business and trade, export and import. He did so well that he became the class captain.

2) When he finished the session at Potiphar’s house, he had learnt all there was to learn there, it was time for another examination to the next class, the devil got another permission and he worked through Potiphar’s wife whose job was to push Joseph to the venue for the next class. Had God told Joseph, leave everything and go to the prison, I don’t think he would have agreed. Joseph had lived long enough to know that his belief and declaration formed part of who he was, so he just continued living as diligent as he always had in the prison and in no time he became the class captain again.

Things to note

The devil cannot do anything except what God allows. He’s limited in our life.

Even though Joseph was thrown in the prison, Potiphar did not put him in the common man’s prison but the king’s prison. Because God was taking him there to be noticed and positioned for the next class… The only thing remaining was Joseph passing the class, God had provided the people, the time and the position before Joseph got to the prison.

3) Joseph could not see the end of a thing from it’s beginning but he knew God did, so he went about his duties, probably some prisoners said, “why is this one always happy and doing eye service like he’s not a prisoner like the rest of us?” But Joseph knew he was God’s representative/ambassador and he needed to be on his best behaviour for God not for the situation.

I believe this class and exams was longer because he needed to be properly trained by the prisoners from the king’s palace who were in that prison to know the inner workings of the palace before he gets there (no one will know the inner workings of the palace more than the staff). When his training was done, God gave Pharoah a dream and reminded the baker about Joseph.

4)Joseph had been trained for this position all of his life even though he did not know it specifically. He even knew about the nation of Egypt more than the king himself. He had learned street and business at Potiphar’s house and Palace politics in prison, International experience from home. He always had a relationship with God so he didn’t have to scramble for answers when it was time for his final exams… Those that know their God shall be strong and do exploits. God had trusted him with little and he had stewarded it properly. So It was time to give him God’s wealth to steward to the world.

My lessons from Joseph’s life is majorly from the steps leading there.

Our ways are not God’s ways and God has provided all that we need, the only person who would have delayed or denied Joseph of that provision is Joseph himself, the devil and man can’t and God won’t. Most importantly, for every stage of life, it’s someone that will get us there, it can be a cleaner or messenger or driver…Treat everyone like VIP.

Now, look at your life…

What has been your journey?
What have you learned?

Do you spend your time complaining and asking God why me or you ask God what’s the lesson?

Are you repeating a class now because you failed the exam?

What exam are you writing now?