What causes you depressive sorrow?  The sorrow of bereavement realizes that those who have died cannot come back.  Jacob had such a sorrow.  His favorite son, Joseph, had “died” many years before.  Jacob continued to mourn.  Life continued to go forward and now famine had come to Canaan.  Egypt also had a great famine but they had grain to sell.  Ten of Jacob’s sons went to Egypt to buy grain, and while there, they were tested.  Simeon, one of the sons, was imprisoned and would remain there until the youngest son, Benjamin, went to Egypt.
(Genesis 39, 42:1-25)

On the way home from Egypt, one of the men opened his bag of grain and discovered his money.

The brothers trembled, fearing that God was behind this.  “What is this that God has done to us?”  (Genesis 42:26-28)

They arrived home, told their father all that had happened to them in Egypt and the next time they went to Egypt for grain, they had to take Benjamin, the youngest son.  (Genesis 42:29-34)

Then each of them found their money returned to them as they opened their sacks.  They were dismayed!  Jacob, their father, was filled with sorrow!  (Genesis 42:35)

(NASB) Genesis 42:36 “Their father Jacob said to them, ‘You have bereaved me of my children: Joseph is no more, and Simeon is no more, and you would take Benjamin; all these things are against me.’”

How do you “look” at life?  Do you see all your circumstances and hard things in life from a negative point of view?

Many times, the process is hard and even depressing, but the end results are just the opposite.

One example: building a new home or moving to another home.  The process can be painful and filled with anxieties.  Lots of negatives can be experienced throughout the process… but the end results?  You have a new home; you probably have the comfort of your “stuff” around you.  All the anxiety and the worry and the circumstances which were not pleasant are behind you.

How much better it is to think about the end results and not focus on the process to get there.

We have a choice to make; we can choose to go through life with an “attitude,” making life miserable for others.  Or our choice can be to keep our focus on God – living life in His will, His way and with joy in Him.

In spite of our circumstances or feelings we are to live by faith, trusting God in the hard times as well as the times of ease.

~ Take it to heart ~

Our sorrows are seen from our limited perspective… our focus is to be on the living God.