Why Is It So Hard to Forgive?ናሙና

Joseph

The story of Joseph comes from Genesis, the first book in the Old Testament. He’s the son of Jacob, whom God eventually renamed Israel. Joseph’s life is one filled with hardship, because his brothers sold him into slavery at age 17.

Shortly after Joseph arrived in Egypt, he was sold to the captain of the guard named Potiphar. Genesis 39 tells us that “the Lord was with Joseph, so he succeeded in everything he did”, and that included serving under Potiphar. Joseph eventually became the personal attendant to Potiphar and was in charge of everything in his home.

While most things seemed to be going well in Potiphar’s house, Potiphar’s wife stirred up trouble. She made continual sexual advances at Joseph, but he remained a man of integrity. In fact, Genesis 39:10 says that “she kept putting pressure on Joseph day after day, but he refused to sleep with her.” Unfortunately, Joseph was thrown into prison where he would spend the next decade being held captive for something he didn’t do.

Heartache and hardship were both prevalent in Joseph’s young life, and yet, he didn’t stop working hard or being a man of integrity. While those traits are to be applauded, the most impressive lesson we can learn from Joseph’s life was his ability to forgive his brothers. They betrayed him so deeply, yet he chose to forgive them and see the bigger picture. 

In Genesis 50:20, Joseph said, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people.” When Joseph was 17 and sold into slavery, he didn’t know how God was working out all of the details of his future. Joseph could’ve been bitter and angry, but instead, he worked hard no matter where he was and what his circumstances held. As time went by, Joseph understood why these events occurred in his life.  

We’ve all been through things in our lives that were difficult. Some of them were caused by someone else, and some of them we brought upon ourselves. Regardless of how we find ourselves in unwanted situations, God can certainly use them to benefit others. 

Perhaps someone betrayed you so deeply that you don’t think you can ever trust again. There could have been a loss in your life that caused your hope to evaporate. Those aren't enjoyable experiences, but how we walk and heal through them could be the key to unlocking not just our own freedom, but also someone else’s. 

Is there an area where you’re harboring bitterness and need to forgive someone for how they hurt you? Ask God to reveal it to you. In time, He’ll show you how He can redeem your pain to benefit someone else.