The Book of Genesis, chapters 37-50 in the Old Testament of the Bible reveal that the life of Joseph contains a lesson from God regarding how we Christians must approach our lives in general, especially when it comes to our work and vocation. There are many ways of approaching work and vocation, we may be ambitious about it or disappointed it by, many times we may succeed in it and many times we may fail.
Throughout chapters 37-50 of the Book of Genesis, Joseph came across numerous people and scenarios; however, his attitude towards them always remained consistent. Whether Joseph was in public or in his home life, he always remained the same person rather than being in different places. He genuinely depended upon God in his everyday life, therefore, regardless of the situations that he found himself in; he always had a consistent and genuine approach towards them.
The first lesson that Joseph’s story teaches us about vocation and work is that we must learn to be content regardless of what the circumstances that we may be facing at work or in our vocation. For instance, Joseph never lost his faith in God even during calamities, he just waited for God to make things right. Similarly, during times to success and well-being, he still maintained his trust in God and was thankful to God for His grace (Thomas, 2010).
Another way Joseph’s story is about work and vocation is because it teaches about how to be ambitious in work and how this can lead to promotion. Joseph was certainly ambitious, however, his main purpose was to honor and serve God. An example of this is when Joseph rejects the advances of Potiphar’s wife. Not only does Joseph prove his loyalty to his boss but also to God as well. Joseph was not interested in winning at all cost like most of us are. Due to his ambition of honoring God, everyone he works for trusts him, whether it is Pharaoh, Potiphar or the jailer, and this ultimately leads to his promotion (Sanders, 2007).
Finally, Joseph’s story from chapters 37-50 of the Book of Genesis is about vocation because it shows us that most of us see our work and vocation as just a means to an end. When Joseph was working, he was not just working, he was being prepared and strengthened to ultimately lead a nation to a difficult and tough period, he was learning from bitter experiences that would later prove to be fruitful. Joseph’s story shows that all works and vocations are equal, and we should be ambitious about working, regardless of the type of work and vocation. Only with such ambition, consistency and honesty can we come to terms with our work and vocation, learn valuable lessons, and ultimately advance towards promotion.
References
Sanders, J. O. (2007). Spiritual leadership: A commitment to excellence for every believer (commitment to spiritual growth). (Reprint ed.). Chicago, Illinois: Moody Publishers.
Thomas, W. H. G. (2010). Genesis : a devotional commentary, volume 3. Charleston, South Carolina: BiblioBazaar.
