Realisation, beginnings and hope.

Sometimes what we experience as falls are times of strengthening. Down times we need to savour because the next big leap in our journey is approaching.

One of my favourite Bible characters is Joseph son of Jacob.

Joseph understood at a young age that God had blessed him with great potential. Every time I revisit his story I learn something new. But today I only want to talk about his falls.

1. When he felt most excited about the future he fell – his brothers sold him off into slavery.
2. He came out of that to a job much greater than what he had experience for – running a very wealthy man’s household. When he felt he was finally making progress the wealthy man’s wife wrongly accused him and had him thrown in jail. Another fall!
3. Jail was tough. He tried repeatedly to get out of this great fall. It almost sounds as if in jail he fell over and over again. I sometimes wonder what he thought as he lay alone at night. It must have been his deepest valley!

But he held on and realized his truest purpose in life. He started out dreaming that he would lead his family. The purpose of his life was much bigger than that. He was to lead his nation. Feed many nations in a time of hardship. The valleys were deep and troubled to prepare him to realise the great potential within him.

Don’t give up because you fell. Use the valley to develop all you need for the next big milestone.