Each week’s reading is chock full of info I want to dig into and share. This week is certainly no exception. But one verse stood out to me as so relevant and applicable to life right now that I am going to focus there….
What percentage guides your life?
We’ve all heard that hindsight is 20/20, that relationships won’t work well at 50/50, and that the world runs on the 80/20 rule. But I want to live my life by the 50/20 principle.
Perhaps you’ve not heard of the 50/20 principle. Whatever in the world is that?
It comes from the life of Joseph, found in the first book of Scripture, Genesis 50:20. Joseph, the object of his father’s love and his brothers’ envy, was sold into slavery and presumed dead. He was a slave, wrongly imprisoned, and forgotten. However, he rose from a place of destitution to the second highest post in Egypt and was eventually reunited with his family when he saved them from starvation. As Joseph showed only kindness and grace to the very brothers who had wronged him so grievously years before, they feared he would pay them back after the death of their father. They begged his forgiveness and were willing to become his servants, just to avoid incurring the wrath they knew they deserved. Joseph’s answer encapsulates the way God wants us to view the events of our lives: “And as for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive”.
The 50/20 principle – evil will befall us. People will mistreat us. Life will “happen” and hurt. But, if we can accept these things as coming from the hand of God in order to bring about good, it changes everything. The 50/20 principle will keep us from worrying when trouble comes. The 50/20 principle frees us from holding grudges against the ones who wrong us. The 50/20 principle enables us to live without fear, without revenge, without being controlling…because our trust is in the One who controls not only the events of the world, but also the affairs of our personal lives. And He not only controls them, He orchestrates them so as to bring blessing from them for those who belong to Him.
Perhaps you’ve not been forsaken by your brothers and sold into slavery. Hopefully, you’ve not been imprisoned for a crime you didn’t commit. And, although most of us won’t rise to a level of important command because we’ve been able to interpret dreams, we can all attest to having been misunderstood and mistreated. We’ve all been tempted to blame others when their actions cost us time or opportunity or security. And we are prone to respond as Joseph’s brothers feared he would – with vindictive retribution.
May the prayer of our hearts be to live by the 50/20 rule of Joseph – no matter what evil was intended against us, God is greater and He purposes it for good.