Chance Encounters

In three of the great religious traditions of the world the person of Joseph figures prominently. Joseph was one of twelve sons born to the Hebrew patriarch, Jacob. He rose to prominence as the governor of Egypt and by using his own ability and a prophetic gift from God brought about economic and agricultural reform that not only protected Egypt through a long period of famine, but secured safety for his family and their people. His story is told in the writing of the Jewish, Christian and Islamic traditions.

Joseph’s life was not however always quite so rosy. He was not popular with his brothers, who thought him spoilt and condescending and knew that their father loved him more than them. He had dreams that seemed to suggest that he was going to rise to a position of prominence and his whole family would need to bow down to him and he told tales on his brothers. It got so bad that he and his brothers could not speak on friendly terms and actively hated each other.

One day when Joseph’s brothers were away working with the sheep, Joseph stayed behind. Jacob decided to send Joseph to his brothers to see how they were doing and report back, so off he went. But when he got to the place they should have been they weren’t there. As he wandered around Joseph encountered a stranger and so he asked him where he might find his brothers, the stranger replied that he thought they had gone off to a place called Dothan, so Joseph went and found them there. From that point on Joseph’s life was changed completely.

The identity of the stranger is not revealed. The Bible doesn’t say where he came from, where he went, what his name was or what he was doing in the fields. All we are told is that he found Joseph and had a short conversation that changed the direction of Joseph’s life. As I reflect on this story I also reflect on those one off conversations which have changed the direction of my life. Sometimes I know the identity of those people, some of them have faded from memory, but there are a number who have said something that has caused me to pause, or reflect or to change.

As a pastor and an educator it is my hope that I will have some of those conversations. Where something I say, even if unknowingly, has changed the course of someone’s life for the better. Joseph endured a lot of pain after his encounter with the stranger and it is likely that he didn’t see the change of direction as immediately beneficial. But it was necessary, not only for his sake for many others, even whole nations. It is possible that those words I sow into the lives of others will not always produce immediate benefit, in fact if acted upon they may even produce pain. But with God’s grace they may produce the right result.

You may look back and recall those whose words that have changed the course of your life. I remember a conversation with a business man in Argentina who changed my thinking about my ministry. I became convinced that I was called to pastor a community, not a congregation. That conviction led me to resign from my church and caused a lot of heartache and suffering – but it was the right call. I also recall a conversation with two young girls, also in Argentina, who asked if they could pray for me – that encounter caused in me a desire to understand the heart of the heavenly father toward children and the broken and changed my life. You may have similar recollections of those great and small who have affected you.

It may also be that you are the one whose words of challenge, encouragement or even direction will alter the course of someone’s life. Seek out those opportunities, use your words wisely – who knows your unwitting counsel may one day change the course of history and the fate of nations!