Don't Be Bitter!

In the book, Get Over It and On With It, by Michelle McKinney Hammond, she writes about the attitude of Joseph. She notes that when he was sold as a slave he was so good at his job he was put in charge of the whole house. Then

She writes, "Imagine what would have happened had Joseph remained disgruntled and performed his duties with an attitude of forced obligation. We would never have heard how his story ended. He would have been written off as a mal-contented slave, never entrusted with more than menial tasks."

"Our position in life does not define our character. How we handle our position does." Joseph made the best of a terrible situation. He must have been cheerful, willing to work hard, and honest. When he was thrown in prison for a crime he didn't commit, he acted in the same way and was given the job of looking after the prison.

She also pointed out that it was because he was in prison that he met the King - the Pharaoh of Egypt. Had he not been there no one in court would have known he could interpret dreams by God's power.

Daniel, Shadrach, Meshack and Abednego also rose to power in a foreign country because they had the right attitude. They were taken away from their homes and families. They could have been bitter and angry at the King of Babylon. Instead, they made the best of a bad situation and were given important jobs.

"Excellence begets respect..."  Ms. Hammond writes, and it is true.

"In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven." Matt. 5:16