When I went to Jaybird’s house after school with a black eye and swollen nose, I was ashamed to tell him I lost a fistfight. The old black man, my boyhood best friend and mentor, asked one question: “Was it a fair fight?”
“Well, I guess so. Because I thought Freddie was cheating in our marble game, I took a swing at him. We fought, and I lost. But I promise you this, I will get revenge.”
Overcome vengeful desires
“Revenge? You said the fight was fair — that should be the end of it.” Then he began teaching me another life lesson I’ve never forgotten: how to overcome vengeful desires.
“Because Freddie defended himself, you have nothing to avenge,” he began. “The Old Testament character Joseph had ample reason to seek revenge, but instead chose forgiveness. His brothers were jealous. Their father Jacob loved Joseph far more than any of his other sons because he was the firstborn of his wife Rachel, a woman whom he adored.
“One day when Joseph went to check on his brothers, he wore a robe of many colors that his father gave him — unlike the ordinary shepherd’s garb his brothers wore. When he arrived, they decided to bind Joseph, throw him into a cistern, and leave him to die.
“Then, to avoid being accused by Jacob of killing their brother, they planned to soak the robe in a slain goat’s blood, show it to Jacob, and explain that a wild beast killed his favorite son, but about that time a band of nomads approached, and seeing an opportunity to make some money, the brothers chose instead to sell Joseph to them.” Remembering the story, I recalled how grief-stricken Jacob was when he beheld the bloody robe, and how he vowed to mourn for Joseph the rest of his days.
God had a plan
Jaybird continued: “But God had a plan. Potiphar, captain of the pharaoh’s royal guards, soon noticed that the young Hebrew slave was a man of outstanding abilities, and made him into an overseer with much responsibility. The Lord guided Joseph, and he rose higher and higher in the pharaoh’s eyes, especially when his dream interpretations correctly predicted years of famine and plenty. Joseph designed a strategy for insuring that during the lean years those in Egypt and surrounding countries would not starve, including Jacob and his sons, who soon became desperately in need of food.
“When the old patriarch sent his sons to the pharaoh’s court to beg for food, Joseph immediately recognized them, although they did not recognize him. In time, after testing his brothers, Joseph revealed his identity and ordered them to fetch their father Jacob. When they returned with the old man, Joseph embraced his father, and made the choice concerning his brothers that you must make: He chose forgiveness, not revenge.”
A man of great wisdom, my beloved Christian mentor showed me how God wants His children to respond when they are wronged. He taught me to practice what Joseph did: forgiveness — the most complete revenge.
Jimmy Reed is an Oxford, Mississippi resident, Ole Miss and Delta State University alumnus, Vietnam Era Army Veteran, former Mississippi Delta cotton farmer and ginner, author, and retired college teacher.
This story is a selection from Jimmy Reed’s latest book, entitled The Jaybird Tales.
Copies, including personalized autographs, can be reserved by notifying the author via email (.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)).
