Don’t Give Up On Family Problems

If you think your family has problems, you should hear about a man named Joseph. He had eleven brothers from four different moms. He was the favorite, so all his siblings hated him. When he was 17 years old, his brothers pretended he was eaten by a wild animal and sold him into slavery in Egypt. While there, he was falsely accused of trying to have an affair with his master’s wife, thrown into prison, and forgotten about. He should have been bitter, angry, and unforgiving, but he wasn’t.

The Lord blessed him abundantly and not only allowed him to eventually get out of prison but also to become one of the top leaders in Egypt. Joseph ended up forgiving his family and helping them survive during a terrible famine – giving them food, land, and a second chance. This is such a great story of trust, mercy, and grace. I encourage you to read the whole story, which is in Genesis 37-50.

Your Turn

Is there conflict in your family? Those three simple words are for you: Don’t give up. People are going to hurt you. They are going to disappoint you, dislike you, and accuse you.

I have three pieces of advice as you go through these difficult trials.

• First, do not become too defensive. Allow the Lord to fight the battles for you.
• Second, do not go to others with your problems. Hear me, I’m not saying don’t get help when you need it. Instead, I’m saying that the first place you go when things get hard shouldn’t be your gossip circle! Ranting about family matters can damage trust and communication inside the family. Go to the Lord first and foremost.
• Third, pray for the people who hurt you. Scripture tells us all battles are spiritual and you do not know what demons those people might be dealing with. Just like Joseph, do not become bitter, angry, or unforgiving. View these challenges as opportunities to grow spiritually and trust the Lord to deliver you.

Joseph is one of many incredible lives in the Bible that can still encourage us today to NOT GIVE UP! I have a whole, free Bible reading plan on the YouVersion Bible app where you can dive deeper into this!