Learning (and Laughing) in Prison

Being in prison seems to be a common theme throughout the Bible - from Genesis right through to the disciples in the New Testament, there are stories of people in prison, both literally and figuratively.


One of my favourite stories though has to be about Joseph.  I'm supposed to be well into Leviticus, like my son, reading about leprosy and uncleanness, but I'm, uh, a little behind, so being what it is, I get stuck in passages I love and have a hard time moving on as they are such rich passages (I say that a lot), full of so many lessons, I can't just read chapter after chapter without writing about it.  I used to do all that writing in my paper journal, but now, it's here, for the world to see, though truly, I still write it for myself.


I've written about Joseph before, probably the last time I attempted to read through the Bible, but I'm sure it wasn't with the debt goal in mind - though I'm sure it was related as back then we were building the house, so maybe it was with debt in mind, but not necessarily all our debt, that probably seemed way too hefty a goal to ever dream about!


So, Joseph....poor guy.  He really had it rough, but he did bring some of it upon himself, did he not?  He was a tattle tale, getting his brothers in trouble when he was just 17.  He probably thought he was pretty special getting the fancy coat from his Dad, getting all that extra nice treatment, not having to work in the fields with his brothers and only being sent out to see where they were.....good feelings were not brewing towards him.


Then he gets all these dreams, which I suppose God was showing he had a plan for his life and who wouldn't have wanted to share them?  But I'm guessing he didn't go about it in a humble way, or he was clueless about how to communicate what God was revealing to him as it wasn't received very well, even by his own father.  His Dad knew something was going on though and not unlike Mary, pondered those things in his heart - his son was special, but what did all those dreams really mean?


Well, God had some work to do in Joseph's life first - he needed some humbling I guess and some major life lessons had to be learned.  Unfortunately, I think God had to use some rough circumstances, even his own brothers, to accomplish His will in Joseph's life.  I'm sure it was very confusing and an extremely difficult time as he got sold into slavery by his own flesh and blood.  Yes, he rose to power immediately in Potiphar's courts, but at what cost?  Losing relationship with his brothers and losing all contact with his father, the one guy who thought he was pretty great.  I'm sure he wondered what his brothers told his dad.   Who cares if you're # 1 in Pharoah's courts if you really just want to be home?


But that was just where God wanted him.  Then, he's lied about by Potiphar's wife which gets him back into a pit where he started.  This must have been the straw that broke the camel's back for Joseph...ok God, what are you trying to say to me?  What do you want me to learn?  If he didn't say those things, he should have!  I would have been!  Clearly, he had the type of nature that makes the best of a difficult situation as he rose to power there, too, and was put in charge of all the prisoners - didn't know such a position existed!  Who was doing it before him?  Just curious...I digress....


What is interesting to note, is how long he remained in the prison.  It was for a series of two years plus as that was how long before the butler remembered Joseph interpreting his dream.  It may have seemed like God wasn't working, but the Bible says, as soon as Joseph was put in prison, Gen. 39:21, "But the Lord was with Joseph, and showed him mercy, and gave him favour in the sight of the keeper of the prison." 


So, even before he's released from prison, God is with him, showing him mercy, favour.  Isn't that what we prayed for the other day?  Mercy?  I'm seeing so many parallels in my own life through this great story.


We, too, are in a prison - the prison of debt.  I want to say that I hate being in debt, but I think I need to change my tune a bit.  I think I should say, I don't like being here, but I accept the fact I've played a role in getting here and while I'm here, I want to learn everything God wants me to learn.  Joseph probably didn't love living in a dungeon, but he rose to power and lived and, dare I say, thrived in his prison.  Lord, let me thrive in my prison.  Joseph was given certain personality traits, I'm gonna say he was a type A?  He used his God-given skills, never suppressing who he was, and as a result, God blessed him, even in his prison.  I want that!  May my God-given skills and personality be honed, developed and used during this time - I'm not loving being in prison, but I know this is a season that God can still use in my life, in my family's life.




The other interesting timeline to notice is that Joseph's time in prison had an end date.  If you ever listen to Dave Ramsey's show on the radio, once in awhile he actually has a family or a couple or even a single person come in and share their debt-free journey.  Then he has them do this countdown where he says, "3, 2, 1...." and then they scream at the top of their lungs, "WE'RE DEBT-FREEEEEEE!!!!!!!!"  All the while, they're playing Mel Gibson's famous "FREEEEEEDOMMMMM!!!!" quote from "Braveheart".  Oh my goodness.  I cry every time.  I cry for the family as I rejoice with them.  I cry because it's not me.......yet.  I cry because I long for that freedom.  I cry even as I write!  Joseph gets called on to the Dave Ramsey show.  His debt journey ended!  He didn't know when it would end, just like those families on Dave's show didn't know when their journey would end for sure.  They just had to be faithful, like Joseph, in the prison they found themselves in (most of the time they were also in prison, just for making dumb financial decisions in their lives).  Then God blessed their faithfulness and helped them get out of debt.  Joseph's prison came to an end one day - suddenly the butler remembered, "Oh yeah!!!! There's this guy who helped me interpret my dream!  Oops, I was supposed to tell you that a long time ago!  I sure hope he's still alive!"  He was.  And he was ready to get out of there - quick shave, washed up, ready to see Pharoah (i.e. Dave Ramsey) and he got to shout his debt-free scream, because not only was he out of jail, but after interpreting the dream, he gets to be in charge of ALL EGYPT!!!!  That must have been like shouting "Debt-free" with Dave and then Ramsey telling you that now you're the CEO of his company as you're obviously so good with money now!  I laugh.


So my point, my very long-time-to-get-to-point, is that I am in prison today, don't know how long I'll be here.  I will embrace it, attempt to thrive in it and I will look forward to the day when Pharoah calls me up, out of prison.  Then that scream will be so loud, the whole world will know our family is debt-free!  (We have talked about driving to Tennessee to shout it out - that's where Dave's offices are!)  I'm not sure we'll put made CEOs of the company, or in charge of Egypt once we're out, but I know there will never be more purpose to our lives after we achieve freedom.


Joseph was 17 when he told on his brothers.  Why does the Bible include that?  Then it says he was thirty when Pharoah put him in charge of Egypt.  That is a 13 year journey, starting with being a punk teenager who's Daddy's favourite to the head of a country.  I'm guessing he learned a lot in that period of time as he certainly wouldn't have been ready to lead a major empire at 17.  No one would have listened to him.


I'm not sure where we are in the 17-30 year Joseph Journey.....I'm hoping I'm closer to the end then the beginning!  Meanwhile, I sit in my prison, trying to rule my other prisoners that God has put me in charge of!  They are rascally, I tell ya.


One funny prisoner, our 3 year old, has made us rename our one cat, Whiskers - to just Whisk, as he regularly chops her whiskers right off!  I found a pile of them on my sewing table.  I laughed out loud.  He's also chopped all the kittens whiskers, so they, too, can never be named after their mother.  So funny being in this prison - at least there's always something to laugh at!