Genesis 37:1-11 Throughout Joseph's life he faced a number of haymakers, but God was working through all of them to bring the results that He wanted. The same simple truths can help us to keep going when we face challenges in our own lives.

Genesis 39 There are things in our life that are challenging or downright dangerous, and often we allow these things to get closer than we should. We can look to Joseph to see how to avoid letting these things wreck our lives.

Genesis 40 We all struggle with waiting, and waiting is hard! Sometimes it is because of the uncertainty (we don't know what the outcome will be), and sometimes it is because of the certainty (we know what is coming but not the timing). If we don't handle the waiting well, we can mess up the best outcome, but Joseph gives us an example of how to effectively wait on God's timing.

Genesis 42-45 Sometimes God has to send a haymaker our way to get our attention and force us to change our ways. The famine that Canaan was suffering was God's way to get Jacob's family's attention and change their direction. He sometimes has to do the same for us.

Genesis 45 When we watch a movie or read a book we are waiting for the climax... we get to the climax of Joseph's story. After all of the secrets and deception, Joseph gets his brothers alone and blows their minds! But he doesn't take out years of frustration and bitterness. Instead he avoids all of that and shows God's response... mercy, grace, and forgiveness.