Article November 28, 2011 Issue

Passing the 'Joseph test'

By Fenella Bennetts

Hands up everyone who’s ever said, “It’s not fair!” Hmm—most of you. And you know how hard that can be. It’s not your fault—and yet you’re getting into trouble, or being blamed for something you didn’t do. And it doesn’t help if someone says, “Well, life isn’t always fair . . . ,” as though you just have to get used to it. 

I’ve been thinking a lot about our friend Joseph in the Bible—like some of you artists who’ve sent in drawings about him. His is a great example to follow, because so many things happened to him that weren’t fair. But he didn’t blame other people, or even blame God and stop trusting Him. With God’s help he met every challenge. Joseph learned to do what it says in Science and Health, “Meet every adverse circumstance as its master” (p. 419). I like to think of this as “the Joseph test.”

First we need to know something important about Joseph. He always knew he had special work to do for God. This is actually true about everyone, and it’s a great thing to know for yourself. You could say that Joseph knew who he was—meaning he knew himself and his relationship to God. He knew he wasn’t a loser, a victim, or a failure. No matter what happened, the God who loved him wasn’t going to abandon him, or lead him into danger or despair.