Pharaoh told the nation, “Go to Joseph and do whatever he tells you.” Joseph was wise and trustworthy. He held the nation’s security and future in his hands. 

Let’s review. Verse 46 in this chapter says, “Joseph was thirty years old when he entered the service of Pharaoh king of Egypt.” For the first half of his life, he was his father’s favorite son. He was a dreamer. 

For the second half of his life to this point, he was a slave and a prisoner. My sophomore English teacher would ask us to compare and contrast these circumstances. The differences are stark, aren’t they? Now the man who should have been accustomed to seismic shifts has things shift again, this time for the better. Much better. 

“Go to Joseph and do whatever he tells you.”

Who says this about you? What would it take for someone of great authority to say this about you? How would you respond, how would you handle things, if someone of great authority said this about you?

What kind of character and integrity would be required to stand where Joseph stood and to make the decisions he had to make? What is the leadership gap between where you (and I) are and where Joseph was? What can you and I do to close that gap?

Spider-Man teaches us, “With great power comes great responsibility.” Joseph teaches us that before great power comes, great character and integrity must be present. 

Where are the gaps in our lives? How will you and I close those gaps? Wise mentors and skilled coaches help us, in London Tube terms, to Mind the Gap. (Look it up.) Who can help you close the gap? 

Trust is earned. Joseph earned it with his character and wisdom. He demonstrated it with his integrity and service to others. He was responsible as a slave, as a prisoner, and as a dream interpreter. What are your responsibilities? How will you grow in character and wisdom? How will you demonstrate integrity? How will you prepare yourself so that someone someday will say, “Go to (insert your name here) and do whatever he (or she) tells you”?

Today is a good day to prepare for that day. If we do not prepare for that day today, that day will probably never come.