If I had to choose


Genesis 37:19

They said to one another, "Here comes this dreamer. Come now, let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits."

Genesis 37:28 

Then the Midianite traders passed by. And they drew Joseph up and lifted him out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver. They took Joseph to Egypt.

I am sure that Rachel would never have chosen for Joseph to be betrayed by his brothers and sold into slavery. She would never have chosen for him be in prison for more than two years all while being innocent. Mothers would never choose that path for their child. 

If I got to choose, my children would live in a joyful, happy world. If I got to choose, they would never face hardships, mean friends, unkind words, pain, death, sorrow. If I got to choose their path, it would only be smooth and slightly uphill but never bumpy. They would never trip and fall. No one would ever hinder them and they would reach the summit with a little inner grit, feeling that it was worth the effort, but not triumphant. The world wouldn't be full of sin for them if I got to choose. 

But if I had to choose, I would rather they be thrown into the pit than do the throwing. If I had to choose, I would choose for them to have hearts that are soft and that they would learn how to depend on the Holy Spirit and the strength of the Lord rather than their own. If I had to choose between my kids being a bully or getting bullied, I'd choose the latter. Because they will grow and learn and when they reach the summit, instead of it being a small sense of accomplishment, it will be a testament to God's faithfulness and to the immense strength of mind and heart it took for them to overcome the boulders others tried to put in their path. 

We don't get to choose, but God does. And what I would choose as best for my kids isn't always the same path He has for them. What I would choose doesn't compare in the slightest to the glories and riches He has in store for them. But if I had to choose, I would choose what His path offers rather than my own.


Genesis 50: 19

But Joseph said to them, "Do not fear, for am I in the place of God? As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today."


So let's teach our kids to look for God every place they fall. Let's teach them what Joseph said to his brothers "You meant it for evil against me, but God meant it for good." Let's teach them to stick up for themselves, but also to look for how they can find strength in the Lord and how they can still be compassionate and kind. Let's teach them that everyone feels left out sometimes but they can still show up for their friends because God always shows up for them. And let's all choose not what we want for them, but what the Lord has already laid out for them.

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