If Joseph had entertained any hopes of escaping and finding his way back home, they were dashed on reaching Egypt, where Joseph is resold into a prominent household. Genesis 39:1 tells us that “Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him from the Ishmaelites” (NKJV). Suddenly the young man was thrust into a strange new language and culture.
Image © Lifeway Collection at Goodsalt.com
Our families and close relationships are pivotal in the development of our self-esteem. Joseph had grown up believing that he was something special — the oldest son of the most beloved wife (Genesis 29:18). He was definitely his father’s favorite, and the only one with a beautiful coat of many colors ( Genesis 37.3-4).
But who was he now? A slave, someone who could be bought or sold at will. Look at how quickly his whole situation changed. Look at how quickly life seemed to have turned on him.
Indeed, Joseph learns the lesson that we all have to learn. If we are dependent on others to tell us what we are worth, then we will be in for a rough ride and be horribly confused, because not everyone is going to appreciate who we are or what we are like. Instead, we need to find our self-worth in what God thinks of us — how God sees us — and not in the roles that we currently have.
How does God see each of us? (Isaiah 43:1; Malachi 3:17; John 1:12; John 15:15; Romans 8:14; 1 John 3.1-2).
God looks at each of us with glasses tinted with grace. He sees a potential, beauty, and talent that we can’t even imagine. Ultimately, He was prepared to die for us so that we could get the opportunity to become all we were created to be. Though showing us our sinfulness and the great price it cost to redeem us from it, the Cross also shows us our great worth and value to God. Regardless of what others think of us or even what we think about ourselves, God loves us and seeks to redeem us from not only the power of sins now but from the eternal death that they bring.
The key question, then, is always the same: How do we respond to the reality of God’s love, as revealed in Jesus Christ?
| There are many groups and individuals telling us to love ourselves as we are and accept ourselves uncritically. Why is this really self-deception? Why is it important that our worth come from outside of ourselves and from the One who made us and knows our true potential? |
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