When Life is the Pits

So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe—the richly ornamented robe he was wearing-and they took him and threw him into the cistern. Now the cistern was empty; there was no water in it…Then they got Joseph's robe, slaughtered a goat and dipped the robe in the blood…Meanwhile, the Midianites sold Joseph in Egypt to Potiphar, one of Pharaoh's officials, the captain of the guard. (Genesis 37:23-24, 31, 36)

Sometimes life is the pits. You feel deserted, destitute and dirty. Somehow you’ve found yourself at the bottom, looking up. Calling for help but no one hears. Looking for daylight but lost in darkness. Stripped. Bruised. Battered. Weary. Thirsty. You’re at the end of your rope.

It’s easy in the pit to feel sorry for yourself. You were just doing your job. Following orders. Trying to be a good spouse, parent, child, friend, employee or boss. You can do everything right and still be left nothing.

On the other hand, maybe you dug this hole yourself. Undisciplined lust. Unchecked greed. Unbridled power. You allowed selfish pride to rule. You're at the bottom because you deserved this destiny. It was bound to happen.

Regardless of why you're in the pit, the reality is your dreams are now dust. The visions you once valued are vapor. Who will hear your cry? Who will care? Who will help?

Brethren and cistern. Think about it. Joseph’s pit was a brotherly revenge and I could see why they’d be a tad ticked. Joseph shows up wearing his fine threads. He’s not hoping to herd sheep. He’s not seeking to serve. You don’t wear an Armani suit to gather garbage. Joseph’s arrogance was only superseded by his stupidity. He was asking for trouble and he found it.

But God was designing a greater work. Joseph wasn't meant to be Daddy's boy but Pharoah's right hand man. He wasn't destined to work with his brothers but rule over them and save them. Consequently, Joseph’s journey to his dreams started in being stripped of his blessing. The colorful coat was a gift that eventually got his brother's goat. Joseph’s pride needed re-fitted. He was too big for his britches. He needed to see life from the bottom. He needed to learn some lessons.

The truth is, blessings can be burdens. And sometimes they can even bury you in a deep dank hole. In the pit, you have no one but your own voice. You have nothing but dirt, darkness and your own demons. It’s a recipe for suicide, really. The moment you realize what you had will never be again, you either pull the trigger or pray for redemption. You either tie the hangman’s noose or thank God you're still breathing. You either pop the pills or patiently hope.

Joseph learned a valuable lesson in the pit. You aren’t what you wear. Pits don’t care about pedigree. Cisterns have no concern for bank accounts, prized possessions and even daddy’s blessing. It takes a hole to show the holes. And deep down, we’re all empty. We’re all thirsty. We all need a Savior.

Joseph’s redemption arrived on a camel and caravan of Midianite merchants. His next chapter was as a slave in Egypt. No more blessed coat. No more daddy’s boy. No more perks or passes. God needed Joseph to learn servitude and sensitivity, humility and hope. It wasn't the end for Hebrew dreamer.

It was only the beginning.


NOTABLE QUOTABLES ON DIFFICULT TIMES:

It is not because things are difficult that we do not dare, it is because we do not dare that things are difficult. (Seneca)

Endurance is one of the most difficult disciplines, but it is to the one who endures that the final victory comes. (Buddha)

In this age, which believes that there is a short cut to everything, the greatest lesson to be learned is that the most difficult way is, in the long run, the easiest. (Henry Miller)


Father, sometimes life is the pits. We’re caught by our own pride, our own lies, our own failures. First of all, I thank you for the cisterns. Every single pit has made me a better man. Your disciplining of my life provides healing and hope. Jesus, you understand deserts, backroads and crosses. You left Heaven’s glory to redeem this earthly ball of dirt. So help me to be patient and persevere. Forgive my pride. Break my will. Strip me of life’s lusts. I seek to serve only You. Amen.