~Genesis 37:3-4~
The story of Joseph and the technicolor dream coat is an amazing story from which we can learn the lesson of humility and forgiveness. Joseph was the last of his father’s children and also his father’s favorite because he was born in his old age, a dreamer and a believer of the impossible. He was the neglected and forgotten one, the bullied one, the shunned one, the emotionally abused one, yet God chose him- the lowest of the low to do His work. I have seen that God has done so for me and will do the same for you. Our Lord works in mysterious ways and it is so difficult to understand exactly what He is doing and what His intention is, right in the moment. When asked the question: ” why do bad things happen to good people?” it is difficult to answer in a fair way. I write about this particular part of Scripture because I feel that I can relate to some things that Joseph went through. I too am the youngest, and amidst a large family. I too have been bruised and abused, neglected and forgotten, emotionally beaten and discouraged by those whom I loved. For as long as I can remember, I was bullied, laughed at, rejected, teased and used as a cruel joke for the amusement of others, all the days of my education growing up. I was an outcast, a reject, one who would be called a nerd and so because I was rejected, I grew up with a special empathy for those who were alone and also felt rejected by their fellow peers. I became friends with those people and from that, God has formed me and shaped me into a strong woman. To this day, I cannot say that I have many friends, but I can say that I have a few honest, sincere, and trustworthy friends. And that means everything to me. I realized that the bible quote is so true and forgotten so often by those that this so applies to- to the last and final and forgotten ones: “Whosoever exalts himself shall be humbled and whosoever humbles himself shall be exalted.” In the Old Testament, God never failed to choose the lowly, the dumb and ignorant, the uneducated, the sinners, the smallest of the small, the weak in physicality, the forgotten ones of the world and the black sheep of the family. Two great examples of this is Moses who had a speech impediment and St. Peter who was but a lowly fisherman and a coward. In the New Testament, Christ came for the sinners, for the lowly, the prostitutes and the tax collectors. When choosing people to do His work, He chose the last and final ones, the neglected and forgotten, the uneducated, the ignorant and unintelligent ones. He chose little people like Joseph to do great things. Never lose hope. Know and understand that you are loved tremendously by God. He loves you when you believe no one does, and He has you first when everyone else has you last. Be assured of God’s love for you and His smile upon you. You may be last in the eyes of the world, but in God’s eyes you are the first and in fact the only one. When you kneel to God, you can stand to anyone. Your pain and heartache has a purpose. Any tears you may shed, God will use to strenghten you and create for you a beacon of hope in your life, which you never thought possible. I say this because I know firsthand and I wish never to stop proclaiming the wondrous gifts and blessings that God has bestowed on me- His little writer, the last child in a large family, who does her best to serve Him in what small ways she can. So with the example of little Joseph and his colorful coat, believe in the wonders of God and believe in the impossible!