The Story Two Names Would Carry
Daily Scripture
Genesis 41:46-52
Joseph was 30 years old when he began to serve Pharaoh, Egypt’s king, when he left Pharaoh’s court and traveled through the entire land of Egypt. During the seven years of abundance, the land produced plentifully. He collected all of the food during the seven years of abundance in the land of Egypt, and stored the food in cities. In each city, he stored the food from the fields surrounding it. Joseph amassed grain like the sand of the sea. There was so much that he stopped trying to measure it because it was beyond measuring. Before the years of famine arrived, Asenath the daughter of Potiphera, priest of Heliopolis, gave birth to two sons for Joseph. Joseph named the oldest son Manasseh, “because,” he said, “God has helped me forget all of my troubles and everyone in my father’s household.” He named the second Ephraim, “because,” he said, “God has given me children in the land where I’ve been treated harshly.”
Daily Reflection & Prayer
Years after being sold into slavery and brought to Egypt, Joseph’s life had changed dramatically. Pharaoh had placed him in charge of preparing Egypt for a coming famine, giving Joseph responsibility for gathering and storing food during seven years of abundance. Before the famine came, and before Joseph ever saw his brothers again, he became a father. He had two sons, and the names he gave them tell us something important about what was happening inside of him.
Joseph named his first son Manasseh, saying, “God has helped me forget all of my troubles and everyone in my father’s household.” Joseph had been betrayed by his brothers, sold into slavery, falsely accused, and imprisoned. He could not change any of that. But he was beginning to discover that his past did not have to define his future. Frederick Buechner described Joseph’s larger story as “the story of how Joseph was saved as a human being.” We begin to see some of that healing here. Joseph does not pretend the painful parts of his story never happened. Instead, he begins to see them differently. His suffering is still part of his story, but it no longer has to control the story he is living now.
Then Joseph named his second son Ephraim, saying, “God has given me children in the land where I’ve been treated harshly.” Egypt had been a place of tremendous pain for Joseph. It was not a place he chose. And yet, it also became a place where Joseph experienced God’s presence and blessing. Notice when Joseph says this. His family has not yet been reconciled. The famine is still coming. Joseph does not know how the rest of his story will turn out. Still, he can already look at his life and recognize that God has been at work.
Our stories are rarely only one thing. There are experiences we wish had never happened and gifts we never expected to receive. There are wounds we carry and signs of God’s grace along the way. Like Joseph, we cannot choose everything that becomes part of our story. But with God’s help, we can decide what we will carry forward and what we will pass on to others.
- Think about the family or community that shaped you. What is one difficult part of that story you want to understand differently rather than simply ignore or repeat?
- Joseph could name both his hardship and God’s goodness. Where can you see evidence of God’s grace in your story, even in a season you would not have chosen? We all pass something on through the stories we tell, the values we practice, and the way we treat others. What is something from your story you hope to carry forward? What is something you hope ends with you?
Prayer
God, thank you for meeting me in every part of my story—the parts I’m grateful for and the parts I wish were different. Like Joseph, help me name the hardships I’ve experienced without allowing them to define my future. Give me eyes to recognize your grace and the ways you are still at work, even when my story feels unfinished. Help me carry forward what is good and life-giving, and give me courage to let go of what does not need to be passed on. Amen
GPS Insights
Jaime Kernaghen
Jaime Kernaghan, MS, LMFT works as an Experience Project Manager at Resurrection Leawood. She has attended Resurrection for over 20 years, and serves as a Confirmation Mentor, and on the Foster Adopt Committee. She has three kiddos and four pets among her very busy household.
Being a part of a church, we see so many things and hear so many stories. Stories of hardships and heartbreak, and stories of hope and grace. Much like Joseph, our stories share all the things. The people that seem to grow the most and find peace within themselves, seem to be those who can accept and carry both the challenges and the triumphs of their stories, as well as share them, vulnerably.
It feels like, as we grow in our faith, we become increasingly aware of how little control we have in life. So many things happen to us, rather than us choosing them, to be a part of our story. Just like Joseph, we can remember that our past does not define our future. That our story, although not fully by choice, shows us reminders of how God works together for our good. Like Joseph, we may carry difficult parts of our past, but we can choose not to let them control who we become. God can bring something good even from seasons we never would have chosen. Our challenge is to recognize His grace, hold on to what is good, and allow unhealthy patterns to end with us.
