Day 14

Day 14
Genesis 37:1 – 39:23
1 Chronicles 2:3-6, 8

I recall as a young child about 7 years old watching my mother as she lovingly handcrafted together “Joseph’s Coat of Many Colors”. With each stitch she wove her love and tenderness into the most beautiful sweater for my older sister.

 

When the routine chores of the day were done Mom would sit night after night in the dim lit room weaving each stitch with tender care. With no electricity yet in our country home she had only a small oil lamp to light the area. She carefully knit the love she had to offer into each and every color. The brilliant yellow of sunshine that radiated strength every time she smiled, the blues of the heavenly sky filled with hopes and dreams to be fulfilled, red of forgiveness always there to be given and the green like the meadows flowing with safety and security.

 

The perfect size, the perfect fit. As Linda slipped on her beautiful Joseph’s Coat her body language spoke volumes. It shouted “I am loved”, “I am wanted”, “I am special”. You see there had been many years of hostility between my sister and my Dad, years that had taken their toll on them both. This hostility created a special protective bond between Mom and my sister. Not knowing the love God had to offer her Linda wore that sweater like a coat of arms for many years as though it could validate who she was, a beloved daughter. 

 

I wonder if this is how Joseph felt.  After all, his brothers born out of hostility, a feud between two sisters, hated him. Joseph worked for his brothers yet they couldn’t say a good word to him. He shared his dreams and they hated him even more.

 

I wonder if Jacob had a special place in his heart for Joseph because of this hatred and hostility. Or perhaps it was because Joseph was the son born of his beloved Rachel.