Wandering

In Genesis 37 we have the story of Joseph being sent by his father Jacob to check up on his brothers.  We read in v. 13 ...

   “I’m ready to go,” Joseph replied.

 ¹⁴ “Go and see how your brothers and the flocks are getting along,” Jacob said. “Then come back and bring me a report.” So Jacob sent him on his way, and Joseph traveled to Shechem from their home in the valley of Hebron.

 ¹⁵ When he arrived there, a man from the area noticed him wandering around the countryside. “What are you looking for?” he asked.

 ¹⁶ “I’m looking for my brothers,” Joseph replied. “Do you know where they are pasturing their sheep?”

Out of obedience to his father, Joseph was on a mission.  In a similar way, our heavenly Father has sent each of us on a mission ... to represent Him to the world and to make disciples.  Our role is to obey our Father as Joseph did his.  Imagine looking next to your job assignment sheet in heaven ... would you have the word "traveled" written next to the mission that the Father has given you? 

The Father's expectation for our life is simple obedience, nothing more.  Obedience, whether we go to our schools, places of employment, neighborhoods, or some distant city like "Shechem", Kalamo, Charlotte, Battle Creek, Grand Rapids, etc.  It's important to note that the Father wants a "report" --- and will hold us accountable for our journey.  That is because He cares about those to whom He is sending us ... something we should not forget. 

What I especially enjoyed in this passage is the observation of the "man from the area."  Another truth worth remembering is that people in the area of life where we are going, are always observing or "noticing" us.  We may not be aware of it, or we might totally miss it because we are so focused on the task at hand.  But they do watch us.  I wonder what they see?  I wonder what their perspective is concerning our mission? 

This guy just didn't get what Joseph was doing.... in his mind Joseph was simply "wandering".  It just didn't make sense to him ... Joseph had a different agenda in life, different values, different priorities, and a different passion.  That is the way our lifestyle and mission should affect others.  Not in a weird way though, but in a way that makes them wonder about our "wandering". 

And that will give us a great opportunity to answer their heart-felt questions about life and about our life.  When was the last time that someone asked you a question like this ... “What are you looking for?” Does our lifestyle cause anyone to want to probe around inside us ... to discover who we live for, why we are different, and what our mission in life is all about?

Have you said these words of Joseph, “I’m ready to go”, to your Heavenly Father as you consider the mission that He desires you to go on?  Or have you become too comfortable and forgotten that the Father really cares about those who are separated from Him?

You may be the only one in your peer group or family that is on mission.  To them and to others you may look as strange and dorky as a bird walking alone down a beach.  But the bird isn't just "wandering" ... he is watching for something... he is living out the mission for which he was created. That is the way the Father made him.

I pray that each of us will live missionally this week and say as Joseph did when asked about his "wandering" ... "I'm looking for my brothers!"