Forgiveness and Restoration

As I was preparing the Sunday school lesson I taught today, about Joseph and the restoration of the relationship with his brothers, it was bothering me that Joseph was "playing around" with his brothers.   He accused them of spying, put them in jail, sent them home,, kept the second oldest in jail, made them bring their youngest brother back with, accused him of stealing a silver cup -- he just didn't behave well.

It was a lesson about restoration and forgiveness, and yet Joseph didn't act in a forgiving way until the very end. It seemed to me if the lesson was about forgiveness, then I didn't know what to do with all the manipulation.

But as I was teaching it, I realized that Joseph's reaction just makes him more human.  It had to work toward the restoraton.  He is not perfect, and neither are we.  And yet, God can bring us to a point of understanding that allows us to let go and to forgive.

We can be forgiving, even though we are not perfect.  And through us, God can change the world.