Life's Unfairness, #3:

"It's always darkest just before the dawn." 

Really?

Lot's of people would argue with that, with good reason, I might add.  The experience of many is, "It's always darkest just before the lights go totally out."

Eleven of Joseph's 28 years had been spent as a slave or in jail.  Even if Joseph had done something worthy of incarceration back in Israel, he would have been tried as juvenile--by today's standards.  The fact is, other than, perhaps, getting caught being stupid and having a penchant for self-importance--a tendency, which was fed by his father's foolish behavior--Joseph was innocent.  But it's LIFE that appears to be wearing the black robe, sitting behind the big desk and life isn't fair.  

Even in jail, Joseph's abilities were clear, those and the blessing of his God.  Even though Joseph in essence ran the jail, I am sure he wanted out.  He was about 28 years old when an opportunity presented itself.  Joseph successfully interpreted the king's cupbearer's dream.  Sure enough, just like the dream said, the high-ranking servant was restored to his position.  Surely his gratitude would cause him to remember Joseph, his jailhouse buddy, the one who first broke the good news.

How many mornings did Joseph get up thinking, "It will probably be today.  Pharaoh will send guards to get me, and few minutes examination will reveal that I was thrown in this place because of lies."?  How many nights did he go to bed thinking, "Maybe tomorrow."?  

I don't know, but I have to believe that on one of those 730+ days the bottom fell out.  "He's not going to remember me."  Or worse, "He did remember me and Pharaoh didn't listen."  

That was the day hope came crashing down.  

Perhaps life's greatest unfairness is to allow us to think it is going to get better, so that when the realization comes that it is going to stay bad, our disappointment will be all the worse.  The words of the Sawi, a cannibalistic stone age tribe in New Guinea, "To fatten him with kindness for the slaughter," certainly apply.  It seems that life is like a hog farm--lotta weight being put on to a deadly end.  

It is clear to me that part--a big part--of God's purpose for letting this world be the way it is, is to keep us from loving it.  If we love it with all its unfairness, just think how much we would if skies were always blue, and cupbearers always remembered their buddies back in jail.  

Again I encourage you to readRomans 8.  

If you put your ultimate hope in anything in this world, look out.  All bottoms are subject to falling out without warning.

It's STTA. 

You'll find some resources that explains the true hope here.