And Joseph's master took him and put him into the prison, the place where the king's prisoners were confined; he remained there in prison. But the Lord was with Joseph and showed him steadfast love; he gave him favor in the sight of the chief jailer. -Genesis 39:21-22
I've always found the story of Joseph to be very "Eastern." His reaction to all the terrible things that befall him are very Buddhist-like. He lives his life in the moment, good or bad. He does his work to the best of his abilities whether in servitude or in prison. He makes friends of those around him and serves them. He knows God is with him. Joseph acts like Jesus.
I think most of the religions in the world are way more alike than different. And I think a lot of western Christianity tries to separate themselves from other religions by changing Jesus to fit their own ideas. We need only look back a few decades ago when images of Jesus in Western art and movies were always of a blond haired, blue eyed, light skinned person. It wasn't hard from their to replace biblical values with our own.
Jesus often tells us not to worry about tomorrow, forgive and forget yesterday... in other words: Live in the moment. Walk with God. Serve others. It doesn't matter what's going on in your life, just live it the way God wants you to live. He's right there with you just as he was with Joseph.
God of Christians, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Atheists and all others,
Help us to live in the moment, trusting you to walk with us. Amen.
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