In This Way: Overcoming Obstacles

Then he remembered his dreams about them...~ Genesis 42:9a

Observations:

• Joseph had flashbacks
• after recognizing brothers, he began to remember:
• dreams (42:9a)
• father (42:11a)
• family (42:13)
• Benjamin his brother (42:13b, 15c, 20a)
• language (42:21-23)
• trauma (42:24)
• Joseph wore pretentious Egyptian mask to cover his actual Hebrew face
• Egyptian mask was upward, public and prosperous
• Hebrew mask was depressing, shameful and unjust 
• Joseph's use of fiction to deal with trauma was long term
• Simeon remained in custody through rest of Genesis 42 and into Genesis 43
• Nothing new happened until Jacob's family had eaten all the grain (Gen 43:1)
• Simeon's charges were bogus and Joseph knew 
• Joseph never revealed himself to Leah's second born child
• Simeon was Joseph's half brother (same father, different mothers)
• Simeon was also Joseph's cousin (son of his mother's sister)
• To deal with reality, Joseph created a distracting reality (42:7b)
• You are spies (42:9)
• You have come to see where our land is unprotected (42:12)
• You are spies (42:14)
• Brothers in prison for three days (42:17)
• To deal with reality, Joseph used psychology
• Instilling fear from a distance 
• their hearts sank (42:28a)
• they turned to each other trembling (42:8b)
• "What is this that God has done to us?" emanated from Joseph's psy-ops (42:8c)
• Economic terrorism
• "...in each man's sack was his pouch of silver" (42:35)
• "When they and their father saw the money pouches, they were frightened." (42:35)
• Joseph reached into his family from a distance using currency
• To deal with reality, Joseph used trickery (Genesis 44:1-6)
• To deal with reality, Joseph used coercion / forced confessions (44:18-34)
• Joseph carried Egyptian advantages to his grave but was able to reconcile his familial pain...worked on it for the rest of his life
• Joseph invoked God at beginning and end of his efforts to deal with reality
• beginning (42:18)
• end (Gen 45:5)

Applications:

• I deal with difficult realities by crafting alternative realities
• Difficulty: Mainline Protestant decline 
• Alternative: Missionary Outreach to first responders
• Work as a chaplain produces flashbacks
• dead bodies
• near misses on ride alongs
• citizens playing race card because I'm on scene
• Dealing with reality of shifting career options using a mask
• Thin blue line / second amendment / patriotism are Egyptian mask
• Childhood trauma / hiding in cities / fear of police are Hebrew face
• Am using fiction to deal with reality
• blogging scenarios have names changed
• photos in blog posts are not actual
• real stories, fictionalized
• To deal with reality, a distracting reality is being created
• Reliant Mission work is a distracting reality
• Chaplaincy among first responders is a distracting reality
• Real estate investor activity is a distracting reality
• My use of fiction to deal with trauma has been long term
• Started blogging to deal with pain of what I see in 2018
• Been riding as chaplain since 2015
• Outreach at MSU / Connection was a distracting reality to deal with a declining mainline congregational reality
• trained to be a pastor but it was disintegrating
• shifted focus to campus to pivot from roof, furnace, grass, snow, parking lot potholes and Feeding the Fat Man
• Fed the Fat Man college students in Jesus' name
• ICPC membership and Tri-County CIT are Egyptian masks
• My family member's interactions with me colored by my Egyptian persona
• Overcoming requires an eye (both eyes) on God.  No matter what I'm doing, I need to write to deal with what I see.  Do to the characters what people do to one another.  To deal with reality and flashbacks, use every moral, legal and ethical tool at disposal.

Prayer: You watched Joseph's pain unfold and knew he would have interpreters, jailers, merchants and soldiers to play parts in his fictitious narrative.  You're watching me and have provided people to play parts in a fictitious reality.  The more I live, the more I see that You're the only real thing in my life.  Thank You for helping me deal with childhood pain and adulthood flashbacks.  May my Genesis 45:5 moment(s) save many lives too.