Genesis 40:1-7: a reflection

1After these things, the butler of the king of Egypt and his baker offended their lord, the king of Egypt. 2Pharaoh was angry with his two officers, the chief cup bearer and the chief baker. 3He put them in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, into the prison, the place where Joseph was bound. 4The captain of the guard assigned them to Joseph, and he took care of them. They stayed in prison many days. 5They both dreamed a dream, each man his dream, in one night, each man according to the interpretation of his dream, the cup bearer and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were bound in the prison. 6Joseph came in to them in the morning, and saw them, and saw that they were sad. 7He asked Pharaoh’s officers who were with him in custody in his master’s house, saying, “Why do you look so sad today?”

Even in prison, suffering unjustly, Joseph notices that his fellow prisoners are troubled and asks them why they look so sad, showing a heart that cared for others' distress even in the midst of his own. Joseph came in to them in the morning, and saw them, and saw that they were sad, the account says; and he asked, why do you look so sad today? Joseph himself was in a hard place: unjustly imprisoned, suffering for a wrong he had not done. He had every reason to be absorbed in his own troubles. Yet he noticed that his fellow prisoners were troubled that morning, and he cared enough to ask what was wrong. Even amid his own suffering, Joseph was attentive to others' distress and moved to care for them. This shows caring for others' distress even in the midst of our own trouble. Notice and care about others' distress even in the midst of your own trouble. Do not be so absorbed in your own troubles that you overlook others' pain. Even in suffering, attend to the distress of those around you. A caring heart looks beyond its own trouble to others.

Notice Joseph's attentiveness to others, even in his own hard situation. Joseph was in prison, unjustly, suffering for something he had not done. His own situation was hard and discouraging, the kind that could easily absorb a person wholly in his own troubles. Yet when he came to his fellow prisoners one morning, he noticed something: they were sad, troubled, downcast. And he did not ignore this, absorbed in his own concerns; he cared enough to ask, why do you look so sad today? Even in the midst of his own suffering, Joseph was attentive to the distress of others and moved to care for them. This holds a gentle challenge for us. When we are in our own trouble, suffering, discouraged, hard-pressed, it is natural to become absorbed in our own concerns, wrapped up in our own pain, so that we overlook the distress of others around us. But Joseph shows a better way: even in the midst of his own suffering, he noticed others' distress and cared to ask after it. A caring heart is not so absorbed in its own trouble that it overlooks the pain of those nearby. To notice and care about others, even when we ourselves are suffering, is a mark of a heart shaped by love. We do well, even in the midst of our own trouble, to notice and care about the distress of those around us, as Joseph did. Even in your own trouble, notice and care about the distress of those around you. Do not be so absorbed in your own pain that you overlook others'. A caring heart looks beyond its own suffering to others. Attend to others' distress, even when you yourself are hard-pressed.

That is worth taking to heart, for we can care about others' distress even in the midst of our own trouble, as Joseph, unjustly imprisoned, noticed and asked after his fellow prisoners' sadness. We can be so absorbed in our own troubles that we overlook others' pain; but Joseph, in prison himself, noticed his fellow prisoners' sadness and cared to ask. Look beyond yourself. When you are in your own trouble, do not become so absorbed in it that you overlook others' distress; notice and care about those around you, as Joseph did in prison. Even in the midst of your own trouble, notice and care about the distress of those around you rather than being so absorbed in your own pain that you overlook theirs, as even in prison, suffering unjustly, Joseph noticed that his fellow prisoners were troubled and asked them why they looked so sad, showing a heart that cared for others' distress even in the midst of his own, since he saw that they were sad and asked why they looked so sad that day; for Joseph himself was in a hard place, unjustly imprisoned and suffering for a wrong he had not done, with every reason to be absorbed in his own troubles, yet he noticed that his fellow prisoners were troubled and cared enough to ask what was wrong, attentive to others' distress and moved to care for them even amid his own suffering, which holds a gentle challenge for us, since when we are in our own trouble and discouraged it is natural to become absorbed in our own concerns and wrapped up in our own pain so that we overlook the distress of others around us, but Joseph shows a better way, noticing others' distress and caring to ask after it even in the midst of his own suffering, a caring heart not being so absorbed in its own trouble that it overlooks the pain of those nearby, so that we do well even in the midst of our own trouble to notice and care about the distress of those around us.

Lord, even in prison, suffering unjustly, Joseph notices that his fellow prisoners are troubled and asks them why they look so sad, showing a heart that cared for others' distress even in the midst of his own. Joseph came in to them in the morning, and saw them, and saw that they were sad, the account says; and he asked, why do you look so sad today? Joseph himself was in a hard place: unjustly imprisoned, suffering for a wrong he had not done. He had every reason to be absorbed in his own troubles. Yet he noticed that his fellow prisoners were troubled that morning, and he cared enough to ask what was wrong. Even amid his own suffering, Joseph was attentive to others' distress and moved to care for them. Show me Joseph's attentiveness to others, even in his own hard situation. He was in prison, unjustly, suffering for something he had not done. His own situation was hard and discouraging, the kind that could easily absorb a person wholly in his own troubles. Yet when he came to his fellow prisoners one morning, he noticed that they were sad, troubled, downcast. And he did not ignore this, absorbed in his own concerns; he cared enough to ask, why do you look so sad today? Even in the midst of his own suffering, Joseph was attentive to the distress of others. This holds a gentle challenge for me. When I am in my own trouble, suffering, discouraged, hard-pressed, it is natural to become absorbed in my own concerns, wrapped up in my own pain, so that I overlook the distress of others around me. But Joseph shows a better way: even in the midst of his own suffering, he noticed others' distress and cared to ask after it. A caring heart is not so absorbed in its own trouble that it overlooks the pain of those nearby. Take that to my heart. When I am in my own trouble, keep me from becoming so absorbed in it that I overlook others' distress; help me notice and care about those around me, Lord, even when I myself am hard-pressed, looking beyond my own suffering to the pain of others, as Joseph did in prison.