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Genesis 37-50 – The Temptations of Dysfunctional Families #2
Second, being inflicted suggests another temptation related to the one above, which is the weakness or stubbornness to not put in the work necessary to restore the relationship. We might try, and then give up. Someone said, time heals all wounds, but that is not true unless there is work and forgiveness. Forgiveness is a process where trust needs to be rebuilt. This involves opening ourselves up to the possibility of being hurt again. Maybe it is telling that in English, there is no word for “re-trust.” Babies are born trusting, and learning to “re-trust” means being willing to become a child again (Mt 18.3-4). Trusting involves humility. Not putting in the work leads to stunted relationships with others, possibly paranoia and emptiness. Joseph could have given up trying to discover whether his brothers were changed men, but he didn’t. It might have been easy to accept the very first sign of change (Gen 42.21-24), but Joseph persevered either for his own sake or for that of his brothers.
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