Families are complicated. You probably didn't need to read Genesis to be reminded of this truth, but if you're like me, it's reassuring to know it's been the case for a long, long time. After all, despite his worldly success in Egypt, Joseph's wounds still fester over his brothers' treatment of him. He lashes out, but he also weeps in private. He makes them pay, holding them hostage, but he also sends the family home with free food.
What I find most surprising in this little Jacob family drama, though, is how clearly the brothers sense that they're reaping what they've sown. They've dished out anguish, they realize, and "that is why this anguish has come upon us" (42:21). Call it karma; call it natural consequences; call it a connected universe. In any case, we learn once again that we inherit the destinies we create more often than we realize.
Come to think of it, maybe that's what lies at the heart of our complicated family systems. Over the long haul, most of us live out of our shadow side at least occasionally, and those in closest proximity suffer the brunt of our words or deeds in ways that aren't ever fully resolved. We want two things so deeply, when it comes to family: we want our loved ones to behave, and we want to love and be loved unconditionally. Somehow, between those two yearnings, we find that we're not always kind, and we're not always honest.
Last week, I asked you to notice where God shows up in the story. In today's reading, God's role is subtle rather than dramatic or coercive. It's as if God hangs out in the wings, eager to weave reconciliation and wholeness out of even our most complicated schemes. It may take a famine and a few more chapters to get there, but the story presses relentlessly toward homecoming. Even for a complicated family, even in the midst of karmic destinies. Now that's good news.
- In what ways is your destiny the sum total of your own words and deeds?
- When has God been a "silent partner," helping you face your misdeeds in ways that bring life?
- What other details did you notice in today's reading?
Prayer: We'd like to blame others or the universe when we face our own consequences, O God. Square us up to our choices, and show us the way home. Amen.
Breath Prayer: What is this // that God has done?
