Rejection causes pain, the kind of pain that effects our relationships and can derail our lives. Some people do not truly make a come back from rejection. Their marriages and families are ruined as they can not over come the reactions to the past.

But in Christ our lives do not have to be ruined, they can be lived well and in freedom. Accepted and not rejected.

The definition of what rejection is.

The definition of acceptance, acceptance being the opposite of rejection and what we want and need.

Joseph's story is one of rejection and acceptance. Joseph is cast off by his brothers, they do not approve of him and refuse to have him in their lives. At the same time Joseph is accepted by God. God has called him and given him a purpose, God believes in Him as does Jacob, his dad.

The facts of Joseph's story is that he is a rejected brother who is enslaved and falsely jailed. His life seems awful, he should be bitter and unable to make anything of himself he has been set up to fail.

The truth of his story is different. God has a plan for his life. He has been placed in slavery and prison to train him and develop him and build his character so that he can fulfill Gods purpose for his life. God has planned this all and positioned him to make the move to governor of Egypt. The truth is that God is in charge and Joseph is where he is meant to be becoming who he is meant to be.

My truth in life consists of my environment and my experience. This is not something I always have control over. Joseph's truth was given to him by his brothers rejection and others who conspired against him. People sin against us, we sin our truth can be very ugly.

Satan comes and tries to take advantage of our truth pointing out all the worst and trying to get us to focus on the rejection and the pain. Satan would have wanted Joseph to only think about his families rejection, how unfair his truth was how ugly the facts were, so that Joseph would have been in prison physically and spiritually.

When we take our truth and then see Gods truth instead of Satan's lies instead of been in prison we receive freedom.

Joseph chose to see Gods truth. He relished that God had a plan, that God was using all that happened to him to achieve good and not evil. Joseph was free because he believed in Gods truth and Gods acceptance. So instead of been bitter and unforgiving Joseph could forgive and fulfill his purpose enjoying life.

Joseph saw Gods upper story and focused on that instead of the lower story. He looked to the truth not the facts. Will we do the same will we choose the facts, our truth and live in rejection, broken relationships?

Or choose like Joseph Gods acceptance, God's truth the upper story and not the lower. Living in love and acceptance fulfilling Gods plan for our lives.

The choice is ours to make. As God said today I put before you life and death, choose life.