Pivot

As soon as his master heard the words that his wife spoke to him, “This is the way your servant treated me,” his anger was kindled. And Joseph’s master took him and put him into the prison, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined, and he was there in prison. But the Lord was with Joseph and showed him steadfast love and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. And the keeper of the prison put Joseph in charge of all the prisoners who were in the prison. Whatever was done there, he was the one who did it. The keeper of the prison paid no attention to anything that was in Joseph’s charge, because the Lord was with him. And whatever he did, the Lord made it succeed.

Genesis 39:19-23 ESV

Here’s what I want us to learn from this episode in Joseph’s life: if we’re going to survive and thrive in life, we have to learn how to pivot. Simply put, we need to be able to change directions and adapt.

Below, you’ll find three things we need to keep in mind that gives us the freedom to pivot.

Here’s the context: Joseph, already a slave because his older brothers sold him into slavery out of a bout of jealousy. Once in slavery, Joseph reinvented himself and made himself worthy. See how in my previous post titled, “The Blessed Manager.” Joseph was now being slandered and falsely accused for a wrong doing that he was actively trying to avoid. He did not have a moral failing, nor did he have a management failure. Rather, forces outside of his control won this battle and caused Joseph to pay.

Sometimes we lose

This is a hard truth to swallow. There is no such thing as winning if there was no losing. It’s okay to be on the losing end sometimes. Ask anybody who has ever competed and lost. They will tell you that happens. Moreover, ask somebody who has competed and lost, and then found victory. They will tell you that the victory was so much sweeter because they had tasted defeat.

In a world of infinite possibilities and only a limited amount of possibilities that we can control, no matter how hard we try, we need to accept that sometimes we lose and that is not a poor reflection on us or our work, but just the circumstances that are.

When we accept that we can sometimes lose, we can easily get into our stubborn brains and hearts that it is time to stop the losing endeavor, cut the cords and move on. I know I have a difficult time with accepting losses, but as I grow with my management and leadership, I have found that changing directions after a loss actually helps me win because it puts me on the better track.

When we keep this truth in mind, we can shake off the losses as personal attacks and move forward.

God’s love does not quit

I love this in verse 21: “But the Lord was with Joseph and showed him steadfast love and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison.” The key word being the word, “BUT.” In verses 19 and 20, Joseph was found to be a loser, wrongly accused, and probably defamed in public, BUT God “showed him steadfast love.”

If you’re a Christian, remember that when we were sinners, God sent his son Jesus to die on the cross for us, so that we can be made holy and become heirs to God’s kingdom. The same applies to us after our losses and our failings and shortcomings. God’s love does not quit on us.

The sooner we recognize that God’s love for us does not quit, the easier it is for us to change direction and move forward.

Remember our identity

Despite everything that happened, Joseph did not forget who he was. Likewise for us, I know a lot of us live for a vision that was placed in our hearts and minds a long time ago. Just because one thing didn’t pan out, doesn’t mean that our entire lives are meant to succumb to that. It just means that we need to pivot without allowing our previous shortcomings hinder us.

Remember who you are in Jesus Christ. We are his beloved. When we remember that, we can be confident that changing directions when circumstances call for it, is not only allowable, but our obligation. After all, why should we attempt to achieve the same goal the same way when everything else has changed?

Be bold, be flexible, and do not fear pivoting. The world is constantly changing, we should be changing our methods to live into our God given calling. It’s clear from Joseph’s life that we do not have to worry our past track record. God’s love for us, is our identity, and it allows us to adapt to our new circumstances with confidence.  

Prayer: Let’s pray. Father, in haven, help us remember our identity in you. We know you do not quit. You do not give up. We are your children, redeemed by your blood. As we find ourselves in the midst of changing course and adjusting and moving in new directions, help us to know that your failures, shortcomings do not define us. Lord, it doesn’t define who we are because your love never quits and we stake our identities in that truth. Thank you for moving through us so powerfully in our lives and I pray that as we find ourselves in new and uncharted areas of life, that continue to pour out your favor. We pray these things in Jesus name. Amen.