”So he said to him, “Go and see if all is well with your brothers and with the flocks, and bring word back to me.” Then he sent him off from the Valley of Hebron. When Joseph arrived at Shechem, a man found him wandering around in the fields and asked him, “What are you looking for?” Genesis 37:14-15 NIV
Bible Passage: Genesis 37:12-17
In the passage above Israel (Jacob) summoned Joseph and gave him quite clear directives, and a defined destination. However, not very long after, the Bible said “… a man found him (Joseph) wandering around in the fields and asked him, “What are you looking for?”
How can Joseph who had a flawless execution of the assignment he was given end up wandering, perhaps aimlessly? Were it not for the intervention of the man that found him, he would probably have gone back home with a task failure on his hands. This is not because he missed his way nor did he bungle any other part of task execution, no! Simply because his brothers had moved and that was something out of his control. He was therefore in pursuit of a moving target, more or less.
The next time on life’s journey that you see a wanderer, especially an aimless one, please hold off on judging him or her a failure – it might just be another wandering Joseph that what went wrong with his/her journey was out of his/her control. If you can help, please do. If you cannot, spare a thought, say a prayer but do not be quick to assume it was his own self undoing that got him into that predicament. At least, not until you know more.
Remember in Jesus’ Good Samaritan parable, four people took the same road, it was only one person that was attacked by robbers and Jesus didn’t tell us why. Sometimes in this life, some people do everything right like every other person that succeeded and still get different outcomes from others.
My view of drug dependency and addiction changed the day I ministered to someone whose unfortunate foray into the world of opioids was not via the often assumed recreational route but it was because she was medicating a back pain that just would not go away. That was an experience for me, I must say. To the glory of God, Jesus did to her only what Jesus could and touched her powerfully! There was a 180 degree difference between the person that came in and the one that left. She later informed us that she had two appointments that afternoon to prostitute herself, probably to further feed her drug addiction, which she canceled right away! Praise God!
Again, some people may do everything right like every other person that succeeded and still get different outcomes. Therefore, it is not every divorce that the couple did not love each other nor did they not know what they were doing. Not every single-mom, especially the never married ones, lacked modesty. Neither is every child that did not turn out right always owing to parents that did not show them love nor raise them right. In some cities of the world, there are homeless folks with advanced university degrees.
In Jesus’ Good Samaritan parable, four people took the same road, it was only one person that was attacked by robbers. Quite fortuitously, it was also only one person that stopped to help, the Samaritan; be that one – “go and do likewise”, Jesus said.
©2025 Ola Bosun Ajidahun . All Rights Reserved.
Thank you for this humbling reminder. When we get so used to seeing positive outcomes for our hard work or sound decisions, we forget that we are only a product of his grace…
‘It is of the LORD’S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.’ Lamentations 3:22
‘He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us.’ 2 Corinthians 1:4
Yes, but for the grace of God on us all! Thank you!