Christian Homekeeping

The garage seems like it is the place to put everything we don't want in the house.  I now understand why people have so much stuff in their garage, it makes a great storage area!  I had tons of stuff that we no longer needed that I wanted to get rid of or sell that was too good to just throw in the trash but I hadn't took the time to go through all of it and it just kind of piled up.  I finally took about 4 hours yesterday and went through most of it.  I have bins full of things now to sell on eBay or give away.

In with the new!  We bought our first home 2 years ago and it is now 14, almost 15 years old.  It seems like it is the time for things to need replacing.  On one hand it was upsetting that the kitchen faucet was leaking and the hose had rips, but on the other hand, I'm glad it did because I love my new faucet LOL!!

Here is our white faucet before, which we found out upon trying to remove that it was severely corroded and installed incorrectly:

Why are we supporting legislation to help women with child care costs when they should be raising their own children at home?  We should only be helping women who are single or have husbands that can't work - you know, the ones who actually need it?  How about being content with your husband's wages and raising your children, like everyone else does that makes it on one income?  Put aside greed, your selfish desires, your "success" and follow after God's design for women - being a mother!  Novel thought I know.

Save the food stamps, housing, child care costs, etc. for those who NEED it - the disabled and single.  Quit stealing the working man and his family's money!!

That goes for school too - why do we support a socialism-based schooling system where everyone has to pay for it?  Pay for your own!  Leave the funded-school for those that NEED it.

If you keep milking the system and stealing from others - you will keep saying the same ole' rhetoric that you can't make it on one income.  I've got a newsflash for you - God's way works and He blesses you for obedience!!


*Unfortunately the medical world and insurance companies have made it almost impossible for ANYBODY but a millionaire to afford the medical costs today.  What needs to happen is the costs to go down and bring back affordable premiums and costs.  Until then, we have Christian-sharing ministries to help afford the costs if your employer doesn't provide a low-cost plan.

My husband got assurance of his call to preach. He just had to be in the right place, and here we are in the right place, and he is preaching again. It is amazing how God moves and if you just follow Him, you WILL find that place! He preached for 5 years off and on from 2001-2006 but never could remember a place where God called him, he had just been told he was called. I'm glad that he was careful in seeking it out and only doing it when and where God wanted him to and now is the time!

My daughter has put flying planes aside for a while and started horse riding lessons. I can say that I actually preferred the flying over the horses LOL! I'm not an animal person, except for cats and I don't even have those anymore because I can't take the hair and smell. I sure can't stand horses and the smell of the barns. I'm glad that we can give her a chance to explore all of these interests and she's having the time of her life while doing so!

My son is a very precise little fellow. He likes things to be done at certain times, routines and he is gifted as I've mentioned before. He loves to help me cook and be by my side when I work. He is so tall! He made up and played his own song on the piano and amazed us all recently. Every week I'm amazed at something else he does.

I'm doing well and have come a long way. I just recorded my first song in a studio! It is going to be a bluegrass gospel album but the first song is contemporary gospel. It was at the urging of a friend that I did it and I was scared but I did it.  The song was written about me, as the person that wrote it said God gave them the song about me. It was moving to read it earlier this year but even more moving to sing it! I cherish it because it is a comfort and I believe it will also help many others and that is my prayer!

Ohio is still beautiful and wonderful - it is fall now and the leaves are just beginning to change colors because we have been in the 90's up until the past week. Life here is blessed. We've come a long way and its the Lord that's brought us!!

As a homemaker you manage your home, and I believe this includes the budgeting and researching for what is needed, such as health insurance.  I wanted to help by showing you how I evaluate which plan overall would not only save the most, but in my opinion, be well worth the "risk."

Let's take 4 plans offered by a large employer.  You have the highest plan known as the PPO generally, which has the highest premium but lowest deductible and offers copays along with coinsurance.  Next, is the step-down plan, which costs a bit less in premiums but the deductible is higher.  Then, there is usually a third plan that is the lowest premium but highest deductible.  However, since Obamacare, a lot of employers have started offering high-deductible plans, which is the 4th one I'm going to share.  This plan has a very low premium but a very high deductible.

1. PPO Plan - $9,300/yr premium, $775/month; $2,000 deductible with copays ($30 doctor visit, etc.) and 20% coinsurance.  Yearly family maximum is $12,500.
2. Plan #2 - $6,200/yr premium, $517/month; $4,000 deductible with 20% coinsurance.  Yearly family maximum is $7,000.
3. Plan #3 - $4600/yr premium, $383/month; $6,000 deductible with 30% coinsurance.  Yearly maximum is $9,000
4. HDD Plan - $3,000/yr premium, $250/month; $10,000 deductible with 40% coinsurance.  Yearly family maximum is $12,500.

Let's consider a medical emergency happens of $10,000 total for the year for this family.  Here is what they will pay with each plan.  I include the premiums in the total cost but that is exactly HOW you should calculate your costs - what is it really costing you all year?

1. PPO Plan: $9,300 premium + $3,600 ($2,000 deductible + $1,600 (20% of $8,000)) = $12,900
2. Plan #2:  $6,200 premium + $6,200 ($4,000 deductible + $1,200 (20% of $6,000)) = $11,400
3. Plan #3: $4,600 premium + $7,200 ($6,000 deductible + $1,200 (30% of 4,000)) = $11,800
4. HDD Plan: $3,000 premium + $10K ($10,000 deductible +$0 (Nothing covered))    = $13,000

You can see the cheapest plan for a $10K emergency is Plan #2.  But we aren't done evaluating yet!  Most employers will give you money for medical bills in your HSA and it varies depending upon what plan you go with.  The HDD plan gets the MOST money from your employer of any other plan as you will see here:

1. PPO Plan: $12,900 yearly cost - NO employer HSA donation = $12,900
2. Plan #2: $11,400 yearly cost - $400 Employer HSA donation = $11,000
3. Plan #3: $11,800 yearly cost - $600 Employer HSA donation = $11,200
4. HDD Plan: $13,000 yearly cost - $1,000 Employer HSA donation = $12,000

Those are your true numbers to compare!  If you expect a $10,000 emergency, then go with the cheapest (Plan #2), however if you don't know what you will spend or if you will spend any at all, go with the HDD Plan as it is by far worth the risk.  It won't cost too much more than the other plans in the event of $10,000 medical emergency and it will save you thousands of dollars if you don't end up having any medical costs because you are paying a low premium!!


Here is another comparison - take the yearly premium plus the family maximum for each to see worst-case scenarios:

1. PPO Plan - $9,300 premium + $12,500 maximum = $21,800
2. Plan #2 - $6,200 premium + $7,000 maximum - $400 HSA donation = $12,800
3. Plan #3 - $4,600 premium + $9,000 maximum - $600 HSA donation = $13,000
4. HDD Plan - $3,000 premium + $12,500 maximum - $1,000 HSA donation = $14,500

Clearly, the PPO plan is a joke and takes most of your money, yet it is the most commonly chosen plan - go figure!  Plan #2, is your best worst-case scenario plan if you know surgery or something is coming up.


I hope that helped you all understand how health insurance works.  I've found that a lot of homemakers don't even research this or leave it up to their husbands, who have a struggle to even find time to research things like this!  Help him out and do it and save your family money and make sure you are with the right plan for your situation.

Many women are feeling the courage to come forward about their molestation, rapes, sexual assault/abuses today.  Twitter is filled with women naming who did what to them for the first time in their lives, as they have been silent for so long.  There may be those that lie, but I believe most are telling the truth, as I know many in my generation were molested, it was common in our day.  You know the late 70's/early 80's when moms worked and children were left to themselves!?  Yep, the latchkey kids.

It isn't limited to workplaces, we can see with the Catholic church that men in authority even in "God's" House are wicked.  And it isn't just the Catholics!!  The Jehovah Witnesses have covered up sexual abuse of children and have finally been sentenced to pay $35 million dollars to survivors!

There are men that think they are God, who play God and think they are above the law - or better yet, they are the law!  I'm so glad that God is pulling the covers off, the Day of Reckoning has arrived.

I'm rejoicing that the hurting are finding the courage to come forward and stare fear right in the face!  I've always been an advocate for sexually abused women and children and so is God!!  I think the world needs to understand what sexual abuse of any kind does to a woman or child permanently!

Thank God He cares and is setting the captives free in a way by enabling them to finally break the silence!

We have developed, what I call, a busy week meal plan.  This is a 7-day menu plan for those weeks when I know it is going to busy or those weeks I just don't want to do much in the way of cooking!  Everyone likes this menu and it is cheap as well and very low prep/cooking times.





The tacos are made from organic, grass-fed beef and on flour tortillas with all the toppings.  Beans and rice is so easy in my Instant Pot and we add in toppings.  Hamburgers are frozen from Aldi with frozen fries.  The creamy chicken and noodle is my son's favorite and SOOOO easy and it can feed all of us with just 1 pound chicken breast!  Friday is either frozen pizza or homemade pizza.  I cook a 5-quart dish full of homemade mac n' cheese with hot dog chunks in it on Saturday and we have enough leftovers for Sunday's meal.  No cooking on Sunday!

If you have listened to Dave Ramsey for any amount of time, you have heard about the 4 walls.  He recommends you take care of your 4 walls before anything else - always making sure you have your 4 walls!  What are the 4 walls?

Times are getting hard for a lot of "former" middle class families, now considered lower class, despite the economy going so well.  I've been reading it and hearing it in various places.  I'm talking about families that are living on one income already without luxuries.  Incomes aren't going up for a lot, though the prices of everything is, especially health care.

I decided to do a no-frills, no government assistance, just-make-it budget for a typical family of 4 on one income to see just what the base salary needs to be.  This family has no debt but the mortgage possibly.  They also have no life insurance, though some say you can get it for $10 a month, which could be easily added in.  

Tithe - $260
Offerings - $50
Housing (rent or mortgage/prop taxes/HO insurance) - $1000
Car Maintenance/Repair Fund - $90
Car Insurance - $50
Gasoline - $150
Home phone - FREE (Google Voice with Obihai)
Cell phone - $25 (Google Project Fi)
Additional Cell phone line - $15
Electric/Gas - $175
Water/Sewer - $30
Garbage - $30
Internet - $50
Food - $350
Necessity items - $50
Clothing - $30

Total:  $2,355/mo - Higher to cover taxes, so $15 an hour needed; $31,200/yr, $2,600/mo

A good wage for a family really needs to be at $15 an hour and no less to just live.  I didn't include health insurance because a lot are already going without.  Families that live at this level, would need to get government assistance for medical if they want to be covered, as it has become too outrageous for almost anyone to afford.

This budget includes no entertainment/fun money, eating out or other things that most of us do.  I suppose you could find a very cheap place to live to lower the housing and provide extra money that way but the norm around the US is about $1K for something decent - whether that is mortgage/taxes/insurance for a home or rent costs.

After seeing this written out, you can see what a lot of people are facing right now.  There are those that will cut out the tithe/offering but they will soon find out that you can't rob God and expect good things to come!  God has never failed in the 19 years I've paid tithe and offerings and never withheld!  It is HIS money to begin with - he lets you have 90%, please don't think your thoughts are higher than what God has established with our finances.


*Leave me a comment sharing your budget or thoughts.  I've hopefully fixed the comments, but I have no idea because some still say theirs doesn't show up.

The new hasn't stopped since we stepped out on faith and followed God's leading for our lives.  As soon as we physically stepped foot on the ground here in this area, we felt the Holy Spirit and a strong feeling inside both of us that we had finally arrived in the place we were meant to be.  It was the oddest thing ever but we sure know we are in God's Will!!  I'm still happy, I still love it here - best place I've ever lived before and the whole family is happy here.  We got a new (first) house, a new (first brand new) car.. a new church, new friends - well you get the idea.

It isn't just all that as we are finding out.  We have even had new adventures from traveling to kayaking and being outdoors more!  I really do feel alive again and healthy.  Our daughter has been flying an airplane, our son is a genius (no really, he is) and taught himself piano, multiplication and the list goes on and on.  People at church quiz him all the time about math equations and he is constantly calculating things - a blessing and a curse I suppose.

After having been stagnant for so long and stuck in what wasn't God's Will for us - it is an amazing feeling when you finally, just really have faith and trust GOD.  There is no better place on this earth than the place that God wants you to be - HE knows what you are put on this earth for!  HE knows WHERE you should be better than anyone, amen!?

If we could have gone back in time and just listened to God, we would have been better off.  We would have went to Nashville when we were 22 but oh well - we will never know what might have been and we got a whole lot of experience and lessons in the process.  Suffering has made me a better person!!  I can relate to SO many different people now, I've been there!

I've stepped into some of the roughest parts of town where my color wasn't welcome and witnessed to people at the Lord's leading.  I've watched God touch people and show me what true love really is.  I've seen a church operating with the gifts and freedom of the Spirit allowed to move!  I've seen miracles in person, seen others and even myself healed on the spot while being anointed and watched the youth get in and seek God and receive and be on fire!  I've watched my daughter come alive and stand up many times testifying about what God has done in her and our lives.  I saw my son healed of his speech delay after our first pastor here prayed on him.  Whew... you all, it doesn't stop there!!

I said all that to say this - JUST GO!!  RUN!!  If you are God's child, you WILL hear His Voice!!  It is time to start listening and obeying HIM - go to that city you know He has called you to!  You won't be sorry.

I loved this song but couldn't say that I've never "lost" my hope, joy, faith and praise but then I began to understand the song as it was meant - never having lost these things completely.  Then, I could sing the song because truly, I never lost my hope, joy, faith and praise no matter what has come my way in life.  God has been faithful and good!

I've lost some good friends
Along life's way
Some loved ones departed
In heaven to stay
But thank God I didn't lose everything
I've lost faith in people
Who said they cared
In the time of my crisis
They were never there
But in my disappointment
In my season of pain
One thing never wavered
One thing never changed

I never lost my hope
I never lost my joy
I never lost my faith
But most of all
I never lost my praise
My praise still here
My praise still here

I've let some blessings
Slip away
And I lost my focus
And went astray
But thank God I didn't lose everything
I lost possessions
That were so dear
I lost some battles
By walking in fear
But in the midst of my struggles
In my season of pain
One thing never wavered
One thing never changed
It never changed

Chorus

What does a married woman do, cause, violate.. when she works on a job?

• Direct disobedience and rebellion to God's Word
• Usurping husband's role of provider and head
• Placing herself under the boss; another man's (or woman's) headship instead of just her husband
• Denies her husband the help he needs from a wife (mothering his children, keeping the home, meals, joyfulness, vitality and needs being met) - she should be all about HIM and helping HIM be successful
• Defies her role as a woman, domestic and feminine
• Abandoning children by not being "there" and available to them
• If she is barren or simply despises having children and chooses barrenness, etc. - then refusing to take in orphans or help the many parent-less children
• Shucking responsibilities of raising and educating/teaching children to someone else
• Causes the Word of God to be blasphemed - giving a place for others to speak evil by her rebellion
• Teaches younger women to rebel and sin against God by her example

Isn't it ironic that the same people that want to say the Old Testament views on women not wearing men's garments doesn't apply today, will be the same people to say women can work based on the Old Testament?  Whatever Fits Me Generation..   It is still an abomination for a woman to wear male garments and there isn't ONE example in the Bible of a woman wearing the male garment of pants!  Proverbs 31 also doesn't say a woman can work on a job outside the home or be the provider - she is a manager of her home and can sell her domestic goods.  It is time to quit believing Satan's lies that you have been listening to and obeying and go back to what is right!  Hell isn't worth wealth, position or your selfishness!

We haven't done a standardized yearly test since 4th grade.  When I tested my daughter then she was several grades ahead and I just never saw the use of testing every year and it wasn't required.  I decided to go ahead and test and see how she was doing as she is starting high school you all!  Well, she did awesome and I don't know why I ever worried it would turn out any other way - God + Education + Love = Success!

Math was her best subject and always has been so I knew she would do well, however, I didn't know she would do THAT well LOL!  She scored 99th percentile in math and college level!  That is the highest possible score.

English has always been her worst subject and I was just hoping she would actually pass.  Again, I was surprised to see she scored well above average and 11th-12th grade level!  She scored at college level in reading!

God makes the difference!  He WILL bless your homeschool!!

I wanted to write this after my last post to make sure my readers know that I'm not saying if you do everything like God said, you will not have financial problems.  The rain falls on the just and the unjust the Bible says, but what is different about the Christian that is doing God's will in all areas of their lives, is that you can rest knowing that God will take care of you.  God WILL work it out as you have FAITH for Him to do so!  Faith is the missing piece today in the Christian world, it is sadly, a rarity.

Pray to God for wisdom and knowledge, do you actually ever pray for that?  I started praying for those 2 things several years ago and let me tell you - God delivered, just not in the way I had thought I would gain more of each.  I had to go through some things but came out the better and the wiser.  If you face a financial problem, pray and ask God for wisdom and knowledge about it.  Pray and believe in faith that God will answer.  Don't fret, worry and let anxiety take hold of you - stop, drop and pray!

A lot of our financial problems are really from our own doing.  From medical bills (due to not taking care of our health by eating right and exercising) to not saving money for life's surprises.  Let's face it, admit it and then ask God for mercy!  I've seen God move in my life when it seemed impossible and the debt, mostly from medical bills, seemed insurmountable.  I've had 9 surgeries and 2 children - it wasn't free!  God did amazing things like completely wiping out $26K from a computer that no one at the hospital billing could seem to figure out who did it or how it was taken off, but they said it was someone with administrator privileges and I didn't ask for financial aid!  God can do that! 

Our purpose in life is NOT to be rich or get money.  Our purpose is to do God's Will and live the life He wants for us. He WILL provide our needs!  He will even fulfill our wants as we ask in accordance to His Will.

I keep reading articles and seeing books being written about how bad it is financially right now for Americans.  From the talk of it, it is so bad with the "common family" that they can't help but live on the streets and in vehicles.  They can see why those on drugs, prostitution and other crimes live in these places due to their lifestyle choices, so why can't they see that it is the same for others as well?

Since when do people think they can go against God and His roles for each gender and the family unit and still turn out blessed?  Since when do people think that they can live a life of covetousness and it never come time to pay?  Since when is our mind so skewed that "poor" is when you can't live in a 2500sq ft house with the latest gadgets?

The married woman that works on a job instead of staying home is rebelling against God.  Rebellion IS as the sin of witchcraft!  1 Samuel 15:23  She sold out her place for vain glory and covetousness.  She neglected her husband and children for her own selfishness.  Plain and simple.  Listen ladies - your husband doesn't need a "help meet" who puts on the pants and goes and does the man thing!  He needs a hot meal when he comes from home from work and a clean house and laundry... and children that are actually being raised by their mother!  THAT is a help meet according to the Word of God.  If he needed a man, God would have made him one and sadly today, more and more men are turning to men.  What's the difference?  I mean you dress like a man, work like a man, act and go off at him like a man...  Femininity is far from the modern woman as she roars in dominion over the man and makes him feel like a weakling.

I was looking at a new book about why families can't survive anymore in America.  It talks about the reasons being the high cost of childcare, college being too high cost or the professional struggling after paying so much in college tuition and their jobs not paying enough - to saying it is so dire, they can't even AFFORD to raise children.

Child care isn't needed if the woman does her role.  College is a joke anyway and most college-educated people I know make less than my non-college-educated blue-collar husband.  And as for affording children, sure, people can't afford them that want to be covetous.  Again, plain and simple, their covetousness is their god and their reason for, again, rebelling against His Word of bearing children.

Payday will come - either financially speaking, emotionally, divorce or having children who go into all manner of sin, are on psych drugs or just plain are lazy because they never got what THEY needed - a mother!  Mother-hunger will haunt them their whole lives as they chase after so many things trying to fulfill what they should have gotten growing up from their mother.  Works for fathers too, the father not being there or being there but not being the man and leader - yep, children suffer.  The God-designed family unit is NEEDED and yet so many think they can do it their own way.

America is spoiled.  America needs to live within her means.  America needs to return to God's Word and plan for man, woman and family.  Then, and only then, will we be blessed.


Next Post: When God's People Struggle Financially

We tried some new recipes and they were all very good!  I've included the links for you all to try them.  These have become staples now for us.




Dinners

• Chicken & Rice in Instant Pot
• Tamale Pie w/ Cornbread - I did mine on the stove/oven
• Turkey Sausage & Potatoes w/ Gravy
• Crock-pot Mexican Chicken

Desserts

• Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Bars
• Fresh Strawberry Yogurt Cake w/ Homemade Whipped Cream 

My daughter became interested in being a pilot earlier this year.  I had no idea that you can fly solo at 16 and get a pilot's license at 17!  She has no interest in having a "career" but she wants to fly, so we talked about how useful being a pilot would be for the ministry.  You never know, she may marry a missionary and be the one to fly from village to village.  So, we went ahead and let her pursue her passions.

Someone told me about this poem yesterday and I had never heard of it. It was very popular many years ago and it really lays out how we should raise and treat our children.  If every mother would love their children as this poem says, we may not have kids killing one another and all the issues we see today in the schools.  God help us love and care for our own children as He does us!

You may have heard about the MeToo movement and how so many women are finally brave enough to come forward and call out their abusers.  The world has been shocked as each story has unfolded and revealed that men, some famous and some in high positions have abused their power and authority to harm the weaker; women.  It isn't limited to one category or group, abuse has infiltrated every place imaginable, including the church.

The Southern Baptists have recently been exposed and found out that one of their top leaders have counseled the abused in such horrible ways as to keep them abused!  It includes such things as telling the victim to stay with the abuser.  It is a tragedy to have a man of God not protecting those who can't protect themselves.  God has heard the cries of the women and children, and His wrath has come to rip the blanket off the hidden things.

Albert Mohler, President of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, of which I have always admired his steadfastness and stand for God's word, has spoken out and declared God's wrath has come.  The Bible tells us that judgment must first begin at the house of God. Here are some of his words that I wanted to share:

There is no excuse whatsoever for abuse of any form, verbal, emotional, physical, spiritual or sexual. The Bible warns so clearly of those who would abuse power and weaponize authority. Every Christian church and every pastor and every church member must be ready to protect any of God’s children threatened by abuse and must hold every abuser fully accountable. The church and any institution or ministry serving the church must be ready to assure safety and support to any woman or child or vulnerable one threatened by abuse.

The church must make every appropriate call to law enforcement and recognize the rightful God-ordained responsibility of civil government to protect, to investigate, and to prosecute.

A church, denomination, or Christian ministry must look outside of itself when confronted with a pattern of mishandling such responsibilities, or merely of being charged with such a pattern. We cannot vindicate ourselves. That is the advice I have given consistently for many years. I now must make this judgment a matter of public commitment. I believe that any public accusation concerning such a pattern requires an independent, third-party investigation. In making this judgment, I make public what I want to be held to do should, God forbid, such a responsibility arise.

In the words of Albert Mohler, God's judgement is here.  We haven't seen the last of all that God is going to expose with those who have abused their authority and power and have harmed so many.  May God set all the captives free!

Read More:
https://albertmohler.com/2018/05/23/wrath-god-poured-humiliation-southern-baptist-convention/

God has given us examples in the Bible to show us things that will help us make sense of life.  One that I can relate to, is that of Joseph.  If you don't know the account, you can find it starting in Genesis 37.  Joseph had a hard road that eventually brought him into his destiny.  God allowed Joseph to go through what he did and we sometimes wonder how could a loving God ALLOW such things!?  Yet, when we see where it brought Joseph to and how it ultimately saved his people from famine, we understand.  In our lives, we can't see the end.  We don't know how things are going to work out.  When tragedy knocks on our door, it can feel like God is against us or that He has forsaken us.  God wants us to trust him and have faith through whatever He is allowing us to go through.

Joseph was a favorite of his father, Jacob, and was the wearer of the coat of many colors.  From the beginning he was clothed with a gift, of which, his brothers despised him for and hated him.  If God has given you a spiritual gift, you can rest assured you WILL be despised and hated by those whose hearts are full of jealousy, envy and bitterness at what God has given you.  Having a spiritual gift is really a lonely thing, as many people who possess such gifts will tell you.  They come with a price and it isn't something that the recipient necessarily even asked for, just like Joseph and his colorful coat.  Rather, you will become a target of the true enemy, Satan, and he is bent on using others and circumstances to discourage you, discredit you and ultimately destroy you and thereby, destroy the gift as well.

We can see this played out among Joseph's family in the next part of the story.  Joseph has dreams of his brothers, and even his parents, bowing to him and he shares them with his brothers and then later another one, which he shares with his father (v.6).  This only makes his brothers despise him even more!  His own father rebukes him!  How dare Joseph dream such things and have the gall to think that his brethren, even his father and mother, would bow down to him.  What a super spiritual nutcase right!?  Who does he think he is they probably surmised among themselves as their hatred and envy only grew worse.

The tragedy begins as we read further.  Joseph's brothers conspired to kill him (v.18).  See, when envy sets in, especially in the spiritual sense, it will eat someone alive until they go so far to even contemplate murder!  Thankfully, one of the brothers protested that they not kill him but rather just throw him into a pit.  Joseph shows up and they immediately strip him of his gift - the coat of many colors.  It must have felt so pleasing to them to tear apart that which represented that Joseph was so special.  There will be those that will want to strip away your gift!  Next, they throw him in a pit that had no water and they sat down to eat.  How could someone eat after doing such a horrific act?  When you allow Satan to come in to your mind and direct your thoughts and actions, you will do the unthinkable.

Along come some merchantmen and they decide to sell Joseph instead of killing him.  They are left with the coat, so they devise a deception and dip the coat in blood to fool their father into thinking Joseph is dead.

Joseph's tragedy doesn't end there.  You would think, my God, that is enough to bear, right?  Be patient Joseph I can hear the Lord saying, your destiny is ahead, I have a plan for your life!!  So, Joseph ends up in Potiphar's house, who is an officer of Pharaoh (v.36).  (Ch. 39) It says the Lord was with Joseph and he was prosperous there, until the wife decides she wants him.  He refuses, she is angry and lies on him and he's thrown into prison!  There will be those that will lie on you when they can't control you!  If they can't keep you under their thumb, they will devise lies to destroy and discredit you.  I've found that a lot of times, if Satan can't get you any other way, he will have others lie on you.

Joseph in prison.  I guess its over now.  Yet, we find that God NEVER left Joseph, He rather reminds us in the passage over and over again that He was with Joseph: "But the LORD was with Joseph (39:31)."  During your darkest times and your tragedies, God is still with you!  When your family forsakes you, you are rejected and despised and lied on and it seems like God must have turned His back on you - just remember, He's doing something in all of this.

Joseph interprets two dreams in the prison, which both come true.  He simply asked the chief butler to remember him when his dream comes true and get him out of this prison, because he has done NOTHING wrong.  The chief butler sadly forgets all about Joseph.  Do you know how it feels to be forgotten?  Do you know how it feels to have others see your gift and know it is God and then when they rise to their place, they forget all about you.  And you wait, patiently, for one day they will remember and you will be delivered.

Pharaoh has two dreams (Ch. 41).  He is so disturbed by these dreams and no one can interpret it!  Is there not a man that can reach God and tell him what his dream means?  Finally it comes - the chief butler remembers Joseph!  Joseph ends up interpreting Pharaoh's dreams and Pharaoh appoints Joseph over all the land of Egypt!  ENTER DESTINY.  We almost all know the story of how in the time of famine, Joseph's brethren come to buy food and they eventually realize his dreams were not only true, but of God to save their OWN souls!  Oh, how wonderful the mercy of God!  He will take that despised and rejected one and use them to save the very ones that despised and rejected him!  Jesus our Lord suffered the same but it was all to bring Him to His destiny - to save OUR souls!

Joseph went from tragedy to destiny.  His family was given their own area to live in, a place called Goshen.  Truly, Joseph didn't regret a thing he went through that brought him to such a place and even restored his family.  I sometimes wonder what his brothers thought of Joseph's mercy and love?  I'm sure it was humbling and I imagine it changed them forever.  It will take a heart like Joseph's to go through tragedy, arrive at your destiny, and still have compassion on those that hated you.  But isn't that the ones that God loves to use for such restoration?  If Jesus bore the shame, guilt and rejection from those He loved, what makes us think that we won't?  We have a destiny to arrive at and we must always keep our eyes upon the eternal goal, and fully trust in faith the one that will always be there by our side in our darkest tragedies.