Are you going through a trial or a hard situation? Are you surprised by where you find yourself, or wishing that your life looked different?
Here's something you might want to remember: your life story is not over yet! What you're facing today is subject to change (2 Corinthians 4:18). I believe God's Word tells us that we should hold fast to the dreams in our heart, and decide to never quit, because it's not over until we win.
Look at the life of Joseph. We are all familiar with the rough time he went through. He was hated by his brothers because of his dream - so much so that they sold him into slavery and told their dad he died (that's some pretty serious betrayal).
So Joseph was a slave in a foreign land, far from home, young and alone. Yet we know that in the midst of slavery, Joseph didn't let "a slavery mentality" get in the midst of him. He worked hard, stayed faithful, and rose to the top, becoming the one who ran his master's house. Genesis 39:2 says, The Lord was with Joseph and he was a prosperous man in the house of his master the Egyptian.
But then Joseph was falsely accused by the boss's wife, and through no fault of his own, he was thrown into prison!
Again, in the midst of prison, Joseph didn't let prison get in the midst of him. He worked hard, stayed faithful, and rose to the top again. Genesis 39: 22, 23 says, The keeper of the prison committed to Joseph's hand all the prisoners...and whatever they did there, he was the doer of it.
You know the rest of the story. Joseph flowed in the gifts of the spirit and interpreted the dreams of some important people, but they forgot about him and left him in jail for another couple of years. Then all of a sudden, one day Pharaoh called for Joseph, and through a series of events, he was selected as the second in command over all of Egypt. He rocketed from the prison to the palace in one day!
There are plenty of things about Joseph's life to encourage us. He's like the poster child for "you can't keep a good man down." Everything about those early years of his life shouts: don't give up on your dreams - keep going!
But here's what I want you to notice. Genesis 50:22 says that Joseph lived to be 110. Now, we know that he was 17 when his brothers threw him in the pit (37:2) and that he was 30 when he became Pharaoh's second in command (41:46). So that means he had 13 tough years of rejection, slavery, accusation, prison, and being forgotten...but 80 years of the good life in charge of Egypt.
Just think about that. Eighty good years far outweighs 13 bad years!
All of us could probably point to some "hard years" in our lives. Or you may be going through them now. But let's put those years into perspective, and remember that they are not permanent. The devil would love you to believe that the way things are today is the way they'll always be. But he's a liar! It's not true!
Your timeline may be different, but where you are right now is not the end of the story! God is writing your biography, and His plan is a good one! (Jer 29:11). Even if there are some "hard years," know that if you keep believing and don't stop, He's working all things together for your good (Rom. 8:28). In the end, your story will show that the good years far outweighed the bad. So start rejoicing in faith that it's not over yet-it's not over until you come out on top!
