Are You Sovereign?

I've been noticing a tendency in myself lately that where I see wrong, I feel a need to attack it, especially when it impacts my kids.

I started wondering what the story of Joseph would have looked like in Genesis 38-50 if I would have been Joseph's mother. If you haven't read the story, go read it now so you have the context.

If I would have been Joseph's mother...

• I would have gotten family counseling for our blended family issues.
• I would have pursued discipline for the brothers.
• I would have cautioned Joseph to try not to sound like he's bragging.
• I would have had my husband get some sort of coats for his other sons.
• I would have had Joseph's brothers take me to the scene of the crime.
• If I would have found out that he was sold into slavery, I would have followed the trade route into the city, with a sketch of my son, hired detectives if necessary, and found him.
• I would have either sought to buy him out of slavery OR hired a good lawyer to get him back, whether he was still living in the palace or in prison by now.
• I would have fought against Potiphar and/or Pharaoh to whatever extent I could come up with resources to fight.
• If I couldn't get him out of prison, I would have been praying AND strategizing every day, and visiting him daily.

My life would have been given to preserving his life, ...and everyone would have seen it as noble.
...and maybe that is all fine and the right thing to do.

But the real question comes down to: do I have my faith in God's sovereignty or my own? That's a question only God and the heart know the answer to.

Even when Joseph had no human to take up his defense, he still had God's sovereignty. He trusted that God could use anything for good, even in the midst of complete chaos and destruction. And because of Joseph's faith in God's sovereignty, he was able to see God create beauty from chaos.

Where do we have our faith? ...in God's sovereignty or our own?