He sat mussing as his managers
bustled around the plushly appointed reception area escorting the last of the
previous party out the exit even as the next party was being shown in at the
opposite end of the long hall. His job
as head negotiator for his boss’s food empire was really not a demanding
job. The ostentatious tall marble
ceilings and magnificently appointed stuffed furniture in this room had been
carefully designed to humble its guests and soften them for the kill as he
liked to think of it. Already he had
made hundreds of billions of dollars for his boss’s enterprise. His own position was secure and as the number
two men in the corporation he enjoyed every comfort and benefit a man could
imagine. Life was good.
He was not really troubled but
still he wondered what possible meaning there could be to his dream last
night. How could he not know the
meaning? Long ago he had stopped thinking
about his family. The memory of them was
just too painful but now he wondered what he would do if he were to ever see
them again. He stirred from his day
dream as the next group was being ushered into his presence. He prepared himself mentally for the long
negotiations that would take up the rest of his morning. He loved it really and this was perhaps the
best part of his day. A small group of
ten men were being introduced to him.
This would be an easy negotiation no doubt.
As the men one by one began to
make their appeal to him he felt an uneasy apprehension. Not only were they speaking his native tongue
but there was something familiar about them.
Then it dropped on him like a sledge hammer. They were older and had facial hair now but
their mannerisms were unmistakable.
These men were his brothers. It
was all he could do to keep from fainting.
He feigned disinterest and rose to excuse himself with a wave of his
hand as he quickly exited the hall.
Now in his chambers he vented
the tears that came in uncontrollable waves.
Now he saw everything that he could not see for all those years. Now he understood the meaning of the dream
that had gotten him in trouble so many years ago. Now he understood why God had caused him such
sadness and misery. Now the renowned
interpreter of dreams could see the meaning of his own dream. All his misery had come right from the hand
of God. His brother’s mistreatment,
painful as it was, had come at the direction of his God and master. His heart welled up with love for his
brothers even as he prepared to go back to the reception area to resume
negotiations. “God help me but I do
enjoy these negotiations,” he thought to himself as he entered the room and now
Joseph had the answer that has eluded him all these years. “These knuckle heads meant to do me evil but
God meant it for our good. I should have
known” he thought to himself as he mentally prepared for negotiations and
chuckled at the thought of how much fun this was going to be.
