Annoying and Chosen

Arrogant, loud-mouth, unfocused, zealot, braggart, "does not work well with others". These words and phrases can be used to describe both Joseph (the son of Jacob, now called Israel) and Peter (the disciple who would deny knowing Jesus). These words and phrases can also be used to describe some people we interact with on a regular basis.

It's tempting to devalue those who annoy us. It can be difficult to see the gifts in those whose personalities or temperaments clash with our own.

Joseph was Israel's favored son, and his brothers knew it. And they hated him for it. But Joseph did not help himself. He regularly told on his brothers, skipped the work he was supposed to be doing, and was frequently found daydreaming. In Genesis 37, Joseph tells his brothers about a dream he's had where his brothers and their parents will one day bow down to him. Tired of Joseph and their father's favoritism, his brothers plan to kill him, but relent and instead, sell Joseph to passing merchants.

Thankfully, Peter does not reach the same levels of annoyance as Joseph. Peter was the ride-or-die disciple, always ready and willing to say or do whatever he felt the moment called for. In Matthew 14:22-33, I can feel the other disciples roll their eyes when Peter asks Jesus to call him out of the boat to walk on the water with Jesus. Peter's failures are often as spectacular as his successes. Right or wrong, his motto might be "go big, or go home".

At this point in the scriptures neither of these men is done becoming who God is calling them to be. Maybe it would help us to remember that none of the people we interact with on a daily basis is done becoming who God is calling them to be. Each of us is a work in progress.

Just wait and see what God will do!

17 and he sent a man before them—

Joseph, sold as a slave.

18 They bruised his feet with shackles,

his neck was put in irons,

19 till what he foretold came to pass,

till the word of the Lord proved him true.

20 The king sent and released him,

the ruler of peoples set him free.

21 He made him master of his household,

ruler over all he possessed,

22 to instruct his princes as he pleased