God has other plans

The readings today remind us that God always have better plans for us than what we have for ourselves.

In the first reading, we see Joseph being sold after his brothers attempted to kill him. Looking at his story, we see that he seem to have a bright future ahead. He was a son of a wealthy person, and he was the favourite one. Probably his father was planning to bless him with so much and is training him. However, life for Joseph did not turn out that way. His brothers envied him. They initially wanted to kill him, but God enters and saves Joseph from this. Eventually, he was sold. It was far from what life could have been for him if he had been groomed and blessed more by his father, but God definitely had better, greater plans for him. The road to that plan was not easy, but during those hardships and trials, God was watching over Joseph and was preparing him for the great mission and plan he had for him.

When life is not easy, when we seem to be overwhelmed by life’s challenges, let us remember Joseph’s story. Even if we probably don’t feel it, God is watching over us all the time. We just need to have faith that he will continue to take care of us, and that he has greater, better plans in store for us. We don’t always get what we want, we don’t always get things our way, but we should have faith in God’s perfect plan. The road to that is not easy – there will be challenges that will prune us to make us better, stronger followers of Christ and to make us more dependent on Him. Even if we do not see the light or we do not understand what is happening, may we be inspired by Joseph and keep on fighting, keep on doing what is right, keep on serving God, having faith that in his perfect time, it will be worth it and it will make perfect sense.

What challenges am I facing right now? How do I face these challenges? Where do I put God amidst all these challenges? Am I like the people in the gospel, who “Rejected Christ, the cornerstone” or am I like Joseph who kept his faith? Do I honestly think and trust that when things doesn’t go my way or when I don’t understand what’s going on, God has other plans for me? How can I strengthen my faith in him?

May we always remember that God has other, bigger, better plans for us than what we have or want for ourselves. Let us keep the faith.