I remember when I was 8 years old and I had started to read my first Bible from Genesis to Revelation. Being determined to do so, because my Preacher said before I make the decision to accept Christ, I should understand why I am doing it, and that I should read the whole Bible. I was determined to understand why, because since I was a pre-schooler and my Grandma had first taken me to church, and I first heard the words, "Jesus loves me", I wanted to know who He was and why He loved me so much He died for me.
So, I started reading. I read every time I got a break at school. I read after my homework, and by the bathroom light in my bedroom at night when I was supposed to be sleeping...sometimes until 2 in the morning. My preacher had warned that there was boring parts, but if we read our way through it, later those boring parts that we didn't understand would come to light and we would eventually understand it as we continued to read, over and over again.
I doubt my preacher knew how seriously an eight year old would take his words. But, I did.
I remember sitting on our big chair in the living room, reading the story of Joseph from the Bible. My mom and step-dad didn't attend church at that time. But, they didn't keep me from walking down the road two blocks away every Sunday morning.
On this day, as I read the story of Joseph, and I got to the part where Judah offered his life in the place of Benjamin, and Joseph's reaction to it, I began to cry. The story was so beautiful and so inspiring. My mother asked me why I was crying now. All I could say was, "I love the story of Joseph. You should read it."
Joseph has always been my favorite Old Testament patriarchial story. Oh how I rejoiced when he was reunited with his father...and cried some more.
I was even more determined after that to finish the Bible. And, when I walked down the aisle to get saved, I was determined to follow Jesus with the spirit of Joseph in my heart.
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