Paying Attention

Whew!  It's been a few days.  I haven't felt my best in the last few days and, in light of my thoughts tonight, I'll say that trying to make sense of what God was whispering to me as I meditated on His Word is, at times, a futile effort.  I've kept those thoughts to myself in the last week, but am anxious to get started again.  So, here we go...

January 16 ... Genesis 39-41, Luke 16
Since I discovered it the first time, I've always thought that the story of Joseph in Potiphar's house was a little creepy.  I get that God shows favor to those whose hearts belong to Him in ways that are inexplicable to those who won't or can't see, but that wife of Potiphar's!  

Genesis 39:6 ... "So [Potiphar] handed over everything he had to Joseph and didn't pay attention to anything except the food he ate."

On the surface, one might be amazed at the trust that Potiphar showed in Joseph.  Here he is - Joseph, that is - not just a 'foreigner' in this household, but a foreigner often defined by culture as a strange-r, one to be skeptical of and to keep one's eye on.  And here he is, Joseph, entrusted with EVERYTHING in Potiphar's household except his mac-n-cheese. 

A similar first glance might even lead you to think first about Joseph's trustiworthiness both in human relationship and in his relationship with God.  You might admire his intelligence and wisdom and skill as a manager of many aspects of daily life, his own and that of the Potiphar household.

But, what catches my attention is that Potiphar had decided - perhaps because Joseph was who he was - that there was no need for him to pay attention to anything other than what went into his belly.  Nothing got his concern or even a second glance, except his ribs and what he wanted sticking to 'em.  Nothing.

O.K., so confession time.  I'm too much of a control freak to let someone take that much responsibility for too much that's supposed to be on my plate.  They might not do it well.  They might not do it right (read: my way).  I can't for the life of me imagine Potiphar letting everything go except for his plate.  Doesn't make what his wife did right by any stretch, but sure takes the surprise out of it ... at least for me. 

The application I take from this surprising revelation regarding Pharaoh's chief officer is less about Potiphar or his wife or even Joseph.  There are responsibilities entrusted to me that I take way too serious and I want to learn to let a Joseph (someone God raises up in my life that's trustworthy even though different from me) help me out some.  There are responsibilities, too, that only I can take care of and, further HOW I care for them is important, too. 

The word "priority" isn't mentioned in this passage but it is the foundation of it all.  Joseph knew his priority - his relationship with God - and attending to that first made him ready for everything that came his way, and I mean everything.  What gets my attention makes all the difference in this life I am living, and maybe in someone else's (like Potiphar, or his wife, or those unnamed servants, even a Pharaoh down the road), too.

Lord God, my attention is often distracted, sporadic, and at times withheld from that which You see as important. By the same token, I keep a death-grip on things that I really could let go of ... at least for a while. Give me wisdom as you set under me a firm foundation of relationship that will put everything else in its rightful place and perspective.  And, teach me trust as I let you set my priorities for each day you give me.  I want to pay attention to the things that bind our hearts together, so show me, Lord.  Amen.

In order to be clear about what should get my attention from the way-too-long-list-of-things-to-do, I must yield my own list of priorities and trust God to show me what comes first.