Many of us have a painful past to live with; a past that we can neither escape nor change. And for many, the painful memories are so overwhelming that their recall brings deep pain to the present. Feelings of inferiority, unfairness, and anger quickly surface, and the long-forgotten fears once again grab a haunting chokehold on our life.
From Jesus we hear, “And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.” (Mark 11:25).
And from the apostle Paul, “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other just as in Christ God forgave you.” (Ephesians 4:32).
Biblical wisdom consistently teaches that forgiveness means completely “letting go” and releasing the person or persons responsible for causing the pain, whether by actions or words, from any resentment or revenge. To forgive and forget is to completely “let go” of the old wounds with their pain and anger.
The resentments and lingering bitterness of any painful past must be forgiven and discarded if we wish to enjoy a good life of health and peace as we grow older. Furthermore, it is the only doorway to experiencing God’s abundant life of divine forgiveness, peace and joy in our own life and spirit.
The biblical story of Joseph is a story of repeated, continuing painful experiences caused by jealousy, hatred, and murderous betrayals, by his own brothers and the wife of his Egyptian owner. The story is recorded in Genesis 37-45 and is a powerful portrayal of how forgiving and forgetting, letting go of the past, is the only response to a painful past that brings healing of mind, spirit, and relationships.
Joseph, the favorite son of his father Jacob, grew up in a large family, where favoritism and sibling rivalry was rampant, causing brotherly relationships to be infected with jealousy and anger. It became so bad that one day Joseph’s brothers caught him, threw him into a pit, and discussed killing him. One brother intervened and convinced the rest to instead sell Joseph as a slave to traders headed toward Egypt.
Even though life in Egypt was painfully difficult and disappointing, Joseph never wavered in his love relationship with God and of God’s purpose for his life. And years later, while living in prison, that purpose began to materialize.
The Egyptian Pharaoh had a dream that no one but Joseph could interpret. The dream revealed that Egypt would experience seven years of plenty followed by seven years of famine. And to reward Joseph for interpreting the dream, the Pharaoh gave Joseph charge over all of the agricultural activity in Egypt. The years of plenty came and Joseph stored up the abundance of grain for the future survival of Egypt. Seven years later the drought and famine began.
The drought and famine became so widespread and severe that people in neighboring countries came to Egypt to buy food from Joseph. And it was not long before Joseph’s own brothers arrived to buy food. Joseph recognized them, but they no longer knew their own brother. Joseph sold them the grain they requested, but he also tricked them into coming back to him several times before he revealed his true identity.
When he did identify himself as their brother, they were terrified. They remembered the pit and the time they bartered with traders and sold their own brother into slavery. They had every reason to be terrified when Joseph says to them in verses 4-5, “Come close to me. …I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt! And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you.”
Joseph had learned that the grace of forgiveness frees him from resentment and the need for revenge. He even named one of his sons, Manasseh, which means “God has made me forget.”
Like Joseph, the apostle Paul came to understand the way God uses adversity and pain. He wrote in Romans 8:28 – “We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.”
Our difficult and painful experiences often become God’s classroom of learning how to trust God and forgive others. Those of us who have been there, who have journeyed through the valley of painful events, who have suffered much but chose to forgive the past, can now look back and attest to God’s leading, providing, shaping, healing, and calling us into a larger life and ministry. I know because I have been there and done that.
<><><><><>
“Healing Rays of Righteousness” – November 9, 2023
Ray M. Geigley
Healing Rays of Righteousness 
Leave a comment