When I was little I loved the old testament for all the real life drama that happened. It was nice to get a peak into how they lived back then and how they dealt with their troubles and how God helped them. It’s crazy some of the stuff they went through.

One of the characters or I should say families that I really learned from and like was Jacob’s family. Is it any surprise that Joseph and his brothers had such an intense rivalry when their own father had the same thing going on with his own twin Esau?

An important lesson is learnt from them… don’t pick a favourite! I mean when he gave Joseph the coat I knew it was over.

Have you ever had that moment when your mother or father is like “Why aren’t you like so and so? They’re an A* student, they do their chores!” And then you sit there resenting so and so even if so and so happens to be your best friend or your favourite cousin? When I was reading about Joseph I immediately thought of such a situation. I knew the brothers were going to hate it. I knew they were going to get jealous but what they did with that jealousy well… you can read and find out.

I wanted to write about Joseph. He really was my bible role model. He went through a lot if you think about it. He was innocent and kind of naive. He didn’t know what trouble his fathers’ actions or his own words would get him into. But did he do it on purpose? No. Did he want his brothers to hate him? No. He wanted them to love him and accept him. But they didn’t and he gets sent to Egypt in slavery.

But he keeps his optimism, he keeps his integrity. His master’s wife tries to sleep with him and he firmly refuses. She comes after him more than once and every time he is firm in his decision to say no.

He gets sent to prison and God blesses him even there. Why? Because Joseph never left God. He kept him within. He shone Gods light wherever he went. He put God first and he kept his morals.

I hope that I can be like that. That I can be so strong in my faith in God and that I can be a light onto others. Because through Joseph so many people were blessed and saved, the Egyptians, his brothers… a lot of people.

That is why he is my role model.