IYKYK

If you know, you know...that's real.  In that moment...with that image, or that situation, or that result...in that moment, you realize something that only someone in your shoes could appreciate.  Only that person who gets it will know exactly what you are talking about.  IYKYK!

It's almost like Deja vu...you come to that moment of familiarity, but newness, all at the same time.  It dawns on you and you realize that this journey you're on is in the hands of a God who understands and knows you better than you know yourself.

I've always enjoyed and found encouragement in reading about the life of an Old Testament patriarch by the name of Joseph.  Joseph was a dreamer.  He had visions of great things that God was going to do in and through him.  Now, he wasn't so wise in his younger years, as he talked about the visions that God gave him about his future.  He took the blessings of an earthly father who showed favorites, the visions of the God who called him to a specific purpose, and a bit of pride in it all, and ended up alienating his family from himself.  This led him down a path of pain, heartache, disappointment and betrayal, as he was sold into slavery by his own brothers, falsely accused and imprisoned, and forgotten by someone whom he helped at their lowest point.

Sometimes we face and experience a great many disappointments and heartaches in our lives, wondering "why me?," thinking we don't deserve to have to endure such difficulties, even questioning whether God knows what He's doing.  Life isn't fair.  Life doesn't always go the way we expected, or hoped.  That is exactly what Joseph went through.  However, it is interesting that we never read that he blamed God, wallowed in self pity or turned his trust away from the God he served.  In the midst of all of that, there is one statement Joseph made that speaks volumes to me every time I read it.  He had finally become the second in command in all of Egypt, and he had reconnected with his brothers and father.  He revealed his true identity to them, astonishing them with the fact that as Prince of Egypt, he was the very brother they had sold into slavery.  With his heart breaking, and his compassion demonstrated, Joseph says to them...

As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.
Genesis 50:20

I love that...don't you?  After all that Joseph had been through...He still had the right perspective.  It wasn't about what has happened to him, what anyone had done against him, the disappointment, pain and loneliness he had endured.  It was about what God wanted to do to bless him and ultimately bless millions of others in the name of Jehovah.  That was his purpose.  Joseph existed to be blessed by God and become a blessing for millions who would be spared from death as a result.  Would you dare to believe that God will use every part of your journey...the good and the bad...to bless you and bless others in eternal ways?

That is ultimately the truth that each of us have to embrace.  We must come to understand that God is working out His master plan and His purpose in and through us.  He means it for good...to us and to the many people He will impact through us.  If you know, you know.

As you ponder that thought...take a moment to listen to the words of this song by Elevation Rhythm...then, please take a moment to leave a comment.

​Do you know?  Maybe you've been through a "Joseph experience."  Share a bit of your story through the comments section today.  You can be a blessing to others!