Fear Not

Attitude Determines Altitude

Chapter 8

November 14

Genesis 50:

19-21: But Joseph said to them, "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."

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Preface

Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers. Then he was falsely accused by Potiphar's wife. Next he was forgotten in prison by the chief cupbearer to the Pharaoh. And, last, a famine of seven years hits.

In response to it all, hit after hit, disappointment after disappointment, Joseph chose faith over fear. He never gave up, never tapped out, faith serving as the fuel that drove him over, under, around and through every injustice and let down. He chose how he responded and ended up becoming one of the most powerful individuals in Egypt, responsible for saving many lives.

As the quote says, "Attitude determines altitude."

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Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers. Then he was falsely accused by Potiphar's wife. Next he was forgotten in prison by the chief cupbearer to the Pharaoh. And, last, a famine of seven years hits.

In response to it all, Joseph chose faith over fear. Through his faith God was able to turn every evil deed and challenge into opportunities for good. Joseph availed himself of these opportunities, God's will being done through (and despite) others' evil intensions. And despite how others treated Joseph and what they did to him, he chose to respond with God's love and forgiveness. As a result, he became one of the most powerful individuals in Egypt, second only to Pharaoh.

Joseph's brothers tried to bury him, not realizing that he was a seed.

We're called to be in the world, but not of it. The world consistently propagates the example of "an eye for an eye," an outdated expression of fear over faith, feeding off of blame and revengeful punishment. (And one of its current weapons of choice--the present form of the legal system.) The world teaches, "If someone does something to you, then do something in return to them that's a thousand-times worse."

God, on the other hand, teaches, in regards to people's negative responses to those of us who exemplify faith, "Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you." (Matthew 5: 10-12)

And, in regards to choosing love, which is synonymous with faith, God teaches, "Love must be sincere. Bless those who persecute you. Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Do not take revenge...but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: 'It is mine to avenge; I will repay,' says the Lord. On the contrary: 'If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.'" (Romans 12: 14, 17, 19-20, 21) In other words, when someone is being difficult, look for an opportunity to do them a kindness.

Joseph embodied these expressions of faith, as a reflection of God's nature and example. (Genesis 45: 5) So did Jesus. They had eyes of Faith through which we've been shown that there's a system in place established in and of God that automatically takes care of evil and rewards righteousness. Evil actions, like seeds, have built into their DNA what they must become for the actor. Just like the seeds of righteous actions do.

It's all a matter of framing. We choose to frame the events and circumstances that happen to us, in front of us, are done to us, or in which we find ourselves, according to either the world's fear or heaven's faith.

When people frame events in fear; whether intentionally or not, they only serve to make things worse for others and themselves. And the best results achieved from fear are abysmal depths below the worst result achieved from faith. In other words, the worst of faith sets us miles above the best of fear. Moreover, people who choose fear end up doing worse to themselves because of that fear than what was done to them that triggered their fear reaction. The world's inundated with examples of "Because you pricked me with a needle I'll stab myself with a machete." As we've heard, "Unforgiveness is the poison a person drinks in an effort to kill someone else."

It would be comedic if it wasn't so sad and destructive.

But when we frame with faith, God uses evil for good: We're inspired to use the events of us having been taken from to give to others; us having been harmed to heal others; us having been imprisoned to free others. And God provides us with unlimited means to do so, even from within the most limiting of circumstances. (I can assure you, this is something to which I can attest.)

So faith expands perspective and love, allowing for trust and forgiveness to serve as a healing balm to the harms caused by fear. Choosing faith not only heals the world's harms, it also replaces its examples of fear with ones of faith. And with each replacement, by us being 'in' the world, the world becomes 'of' us.