OnFire Encouragement Letter
OnFire #154 Tunnel Vision
Hi Folks:
First, please **NOTE** changes for our address and email.
The following will no longer be our email addresses after June:
Please use the following email address.
At the end of June, this will be our land address and phone number:
456 Salisbury Rd.
Moncton NB E1E 1B5
(506) 382-1481
What a weird week this is turning out to be. Not that weird things are happening around me, but I’m doing weird things. I’ve double-booked myself twice this week. That’s always a risk when things are busy, but I’m not. Since resigning my schedule and emails have slowed considerably. And then this morning I overslept, almost causing Ian to miss his bus. Then when I did wake up, I had to check my watch to figure out what day it was. What a weird feeling. I don’t remember it being like this when we moved last.
The moving truck comes Saturday. It will take our stuff to Moncton now, even though we don’t move officially for a couple more weeks. It was considerably less expensive to do it this way. I’m looking forward to having this part of the move completed so that we can concentrate on visits and simple things in the last two weeks we’re here. I don’t like this feeling of being scattered.
I wrote my last article for the local weekly. And tomorrow our house in Moncton closes. Its all pretty real now.
That’s what’s happening here this week.
Troy
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I feel like I’m developing a kind of tunnel vision. All I see is the pile of boxes building in our house, and the fact that the truck comes Saturday morning. It has taken real effort this week to see beyond the boxes to things like preparing for Sunday’s Father’s Day message. Even writing OnFire is taking real effort.
Joseph was in danger of developing a tunnel vision of another kind. In Genesis 40-50, he became the deputy Pharaoh, married and began a family, and was reconciled to his Hebrew family. Its kind of like a country song played backwards.
It would be easy for Joseph simply to think of the day when he could use his power and influence to get back at his brothers for selling him into slavery. A kind of tunnel vision would set in so that he really only saw revenge.
At the big moment when Joseph reveals himself to his brothers, we all wonder what he is going to do. I bet his brothers were wondering the same thing. He had more power than Potiphar, who imprisoned Joseph for years. He could have thrown them into the deepest dungeons, or turned them over to the meanest prison guards. We’ve seen the death sentence given for lessor cause in the case of the Pharaoh’s baker. What would Joseph do? How long had he plotted revenge?
This is not Joseph’s way. Rather, he sees God’s hand in his journey to Egypt. "Don't be afraid. Am I in the place of God? You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. So then, don't be afraid. I will provide for you and your children." (Genesis 50:19-21*)
Joseph had long since forgiven his brothers.
Forgiveness is the theme today in Canada. Prime Minister Stephen Harper offered an apology on behalf of Canadians for the Indian residential school system. Millions of eyes watched him offer the apology to the tens of thousands who were subjected to this. Surely this is an important day. Only time will tell whether it makes a difference in our history.
Forgiveness can be important for a nation. It is also important for us as individuals.
There are two sides to forgiveness, and we’ve all been on both sides. First, there is the side where we offer forgiveness for the harm or offence we caused. We have to recognize we did wrong. Sometimes we’re too stubborn and we don’t want to say those words, “I was wrong.”
The other side is the more painful one because we’ve been hurt. Those words, “I forgive you” can be hard to say, because it means I give up any right I think I might have to get even, seek revenge, or hold a grudge. Some offences are minor and easily forgiven. Others are more difficult because of the pain.
There are risks both to offer an apology and to offer forgiveness. There have been times when I have apologized and I don’t think the other person believed that I was sincere or sorry enough. I never know what to do when this happens. Talking more doesn’t always seem to work. Sometimes time heals. Sometimes an apology is not accepted, no matter how sincere.
The risks in offering forgiveness are obvious. What if the person really isn’t sincere? Does he really understand how much he hurt me? What if he does it again? Will he get what he deserves if I let this go?
All of this makes forgiveness such a difficult thing. And yet it is so important. “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us...”
Joseph was fortunate in that he could clearly see how his time in Egypt had not been wasted. God used that difficult and horrible experience to save the lives of so many in a time of famine. I wish we could always see things so clearly, but that’s where faith comes in - to trust that God will use our difficulties and that if we forgive, He will take care of handing out justice.
I hope this helps. Be OnFire.
Troy
ON FIRE is a weekly letter of encouragement by Troy Dennis. To be added to or removed from the ON FIRE list contact him at onfireletter@gmail.com Archives are located at www.onfireletter.com This letter published June 11, 2008. *New International Version, copyright 1973, 1978 by the International Bible Society.