Imagine that you are Joseph. You know, the guy in the Bible with the robe of many colors? The favorite son of his father? The one who had dreams of his whole family bowing down to him multiple times? Um, awkward family moment, eh? Yeah, that’s the guy.

He’s the hero of many folks throughout history for good reason. He fled from sexual temptation. He forgave his horrible brothers. He honored his father. He (by God’s grace) kept an entire nation (and many more!) alive in the midst of a severe famine. He’s one of my favorites, too. So much so that we named our only son after him.

But life wasn’t always chocolate-covered for dear Joseph. No, he had his share of severe hardship. He went from being, what I will kindly call an “well-decorated, indoors sort of boy”  (aka spoiled) to being beat up, thrown into a pit, and sold into slavery.

If that weren’t enough, after faithfully serving Potiphar in Egypt, a lying woman landed him in prison for multiple years.

What to Ponder When You’re Sitting in a Pit

I can’t help but wonder what was going through Joseph’s mind as he sat in that pit, looking up at brothers who he had grown up with, brothers who now had cast him off and would have left him for dead, had a more lucrative option not presented itself.

We often look up to Joseph because of the way his story ends. As second in command in all of Egypt, rich, famous and (most importantly, of course) a man of character. A man who, against all odds, forgives and weeps with love over those same brothers who wanted him dead.

I’m not certain, but it’s just a hunch that when he was sitting in that pit and maybe even when he was sitting in that prison, Joseph wasn’t pondering the thought that came out of his mouth when he revealed himself to his brothers: “You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people” (Genesis 50:20).

No, likely Joseph had an emotional response similar to what our own would have been. He likely got angry and was deeply hurt by his brothers actions. If this weren’t the case, he wouldn’t have been so passionate when he did forgive them because it cost him something great emotionally to do so.

A Choice to Rejoice

Somewhere between the pit and the palace, when Joseph was suffering and waiting – his character was formed, strengthened, and found to be more precious than gold. It was in these places of great sorrow and testing that Joseph became the man that we remember him for today.

When you find yourself in the midst of a great trial (or even a minor nuisance), it is easy to pray only for deliverance rather than also asking for strength to endure, if it be God’s will. Our flesh resists suffering and difficulty and it always will.

For many years, I didn’t understand the verses in James 1:2-4: “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”

We can count all our suffering and trials as “pure joy” (which seems completely crazy apart from a spiritual perspective) when we are reminded that they are producing endurance and godly character in us.

Brothers and sisters, what you may be going through, what you may have gone through, is not in vain. It is not needless suffering.

God will turn your tears into glory and use your trials to shine forth His glorious character. And you can be sure that He will never bring a trial your way before it has first passed through His loving hands – hands that have been pierced for your salvation.

Can you choose to rejoice today, no matter what you are going through? Yes, you can. Because God’s promises are true, His character is proven, and His love for you is everlasting.

And when you put your faith in the unshakeable, you too, will become unshaken.