Adversity Leads to Either Character or Compromise

Joseph said to them, “Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. Genesis 50:19-20 Joseph put his entire life in perspective in the final chapter of Genesis. During the height of a terrible famine, his brothers humbly come before him and bow down, just as he had predicted decades earlier. But instead of using his enormous power to punish them, he said, “You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good.” How does one develop such a godly and rare perspective? What enabled Joseph to refrain from exacting the kind of vengeance most of us would be tempted to dish out in similar circumstances? One word: character. Because Joseph had spent years in God’s character building course, he could maintain a proper perspective and use his power to bless his brothers rather than curse them. How a leader deals with the circumstances of life tells you many things about his character. Crisis doesn’t necessarily make character, but it certainly does reveal it. Adversity is a crossroads that makes a person choose one of two paths: character or compromise. Every time he chooses character, he becomes stronger, even if that choice brings with it negative consequences. The development of character is at the heart of our development as leaders. If you want God’s blessings and perspective on life, then be sure to consistently choose character over compromise in times of adversity. I’d love to talk to you. For more on help I can provide and how you can reach me, check out at… http://truthatlife.com/ or email me directly at curtis.songer@gmail.com