“Boy!
I wish I was boss!” I can't begin to count the number of times
I've said that, while growing up. As clear as a photograph, I could
picture myself sitting at the big desk in the highest office, with a
staff of people all ready to leap into action at my every command,
now matter how big or small. Everyone would warmly greet me and show
a quiet reverence as I passed or shared my thoughts. My decisions
were never questioned or doubted. It would be employment suicide for
anyone to look me straight in the eye and ask, “But what if...?”
Now
you and I know that circumstances are like that only in the movies
and liberal imaginations. It is most enlightening to look into
factual history books and see just what leadership turns out to be,
in real life.
A
famous man, once upon a time, was the 2nd most powerful
man on the planet. Now how he got there is really important to those
of us who'd like to be the boss... on most any level. Somehow I think
a boss doesn't have to look unemployment in the face like you and I
do. But that's that liberal imagination talking again.
The
way the history books put it, this powerful leader got his start at
the bottom of a well, and narrowly escaped assassination in the
process. Some other troubling factors in this deep well experience
made the episode even more confusing. First, this world leader had
already been promised by God that he; Joseph, would someday rule with
such power. The second troubling factor, was that his jealous
brothers; his own family, were the ones that threw him down there,
lied to their father about him, sold him to slave traders, and were
initially planning on killing Joseph.
If
you were to someday become boss, remember there will be jealousy all
around you; likely even at home.
Joseph's
First Boss Job
God
guided Joseph as Potiphar (the Egyptian jailer) made Joseph boss of
everything of his house, without question. But Joseph's boss,
Potiphar had a wife that DAILY tried to seduce Joseph and finally
accused Joseph of rape. I wonder if Joseph ever thought he was now
better off that when he was in the well. Things were about to get
rotten as Joseph was thrown in prison. You might ask why this happens
when Joseph was doing everything right. Have you ever asked God WHY?
(It's not a good thing to do.)
Joseph's
Second Boss Job
With
God's leading, now Joseph becomes the unquestioned boss of the
prison. I doubt that Joseph could see any promotions from prison
leadership to Pharoah's second in command. But of course, God did.
That's what God does best; loving and leading.
Joseph's
Third Boss Job
One
of the skills Joseph had, was telling the meanings of dreams. That
started when he angered his brothers with God's prophecies to him. He
got his 2nd in worldwide command job by explaining the
meaning of Pharoah's dream, which was how to save the whole world
from starvation. One rich aspect of this supreme boss position gave
Joseph the power over life and death of his brothers who had planned
to murder him, but only threw him down a well and sold him into
slavery.
How
did Joseph react to his brothers? Genesis 45 and verse 15 says that
Joseph kissed all his brothers and wept on them. Surely forgiveness
filled the room. That's how God's history book, our Bible states the
rise to boss position by Joseph. Think again about wanting to be the
boss. Maybe we should be willing to do God's will right where we're
at, even if we are currently unemployed. God knows exactly what He's
doing, and He's right on schedule. HIS SCHEDULE!
