When Jerry Springer has been criticized for his volatile TV show where the wives and girlfriends of their unemployed baby daddies go after each other with wrestling holds, Jerry reminds us that their problems are no different than celebrities featured in People and Esquire.
The place to find truly dysfunctional families is the Bible, especially the Old Testament. Recently the sermons in my church have focused on the the term "Overcome". They're designed, in part, to help us deal with our current unprecedented situation.
They have zeroed in on Joseph. Remember him? The guy with the technicolored dream coat? Joseph and his 11 brothers are the poster kids for dysfunction. Not to mention his dad Jacob and his grandpa, Abraham. All of their families were messed up.
Joseph's brothers were jealous of him and showed it by, first, trying to kill him, and next, selling him into slavery in Egypt. Over their lifetimes they told monstrous lies, slept with their father's wife, and other relatives, slaughtered entire villages, etc.
And Joseph did some questionable stuff as well. Besides being a spoiled brat, and a tattletale he turned his back on his father, married an Egyptian wife and framed his brothers.
So, what's the point?
My senior pastor, David Miller, told us how God was present in these circumstances, weaving a magnificent web of harmony, peace and prosperity. Not because of the bad behavior but despite it.
So there's hope for all of us. Every single one of us. Our past does not determine our future.
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