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“One night they both dreamed – the cupbearer and the baker of the kind of Egypt, who were confined in the prison – each his own dream, and each dream with its own meaning. When Joseph come to them in the morning, he saw that they were troubled.” Genesis 40:5-6, NRSV

Have you ever had trouble sleeping? Tossing and turning. Wishing you were sleeping. Worrying about the fact that you are not sleeping? It can be nerve wracking, can’t it? Maybe it happens less today because we have sleeping pills to knock us out at night. Can’t be bothered with loosing sleep. We know the bad consequences of sleep deprivation – more accidents and mistakes at work, impaired memory, irritability, etc.

But then, what keeps us up at night? If we’ll take the time to think about it, we may learn something. Something we should be paying attention to. Are we awake because we are worrying about something? An upcoming medical test? A bill that needs to be paid? How our child is doing in school? A disagreement we have had with a friend? What is keeping us awake at night? Just thinking about that may give us some insight into what is going on in our lives, where we need to pay attention, what we need to attend to.

Maybe what keeps us up at night is physical. Aches and pains. Indigestion. A headache. Maybe we need to pay attention to our body. Maybe it is trying to tell us something about our physical needs or the physical manifestations of stress. Practicing yoga has helped me to learn to pay much more attention to my body and how to keep my body functioning and happy. Not being able to sleep may tell us something about with our body that we need to know.

In addition, noticing what keeps us awake at night may help us to know what we are to be doing with our lives. It may help us to sort out what we need to be addressing ourselves to to fulfill our purpose. If the image of the little boy who can’t read keeps coming to mind maybe you need to be volunteering at a school or library. If the sinking of a boat full of refugees haunts you maybe you need to find out how to help those who must leave their homes and find a safe place to live. If the notion of the island of plastic swirling in the Pacific Ocean won’t let you go maybe it is time to get involved in cleaning up the environment.

Noticing sleep patterns, insomnia, and dreams can help us to see what is going on with us. We can learn about what we are experiencing. What needs attention. How we need to tend to ourselves and our relationships. But we might not see any of this if we don’t pay attention to what keeps us awake at night and what haunts our restless dreams. We can be so busy or distracted that we don’t bother to look deeper.

And, then there are those sleeping pills. . . .

Prayer
We want to live full and abundant lives centered in Love. Then we can sleep at night knowing that we are doing what we need to be doing and we are being who we are intended to be. May we notice what disturbs our sleep, may we pay attention to our dreams so that we fulfill our purpose and find joy. Amen.

“But God was with Joseph and showed him steadfast love; God gave him favor in the sight of the chief jailer. The chief jailer committed to Joseph’s care all the prisoners who were in the prison, and whatever was done there, he was the one who did it. The chief jailer paid no heed to anything that was in Joseph’s care. . .” Genesis 39:21-23a, NRSV, adapted

Here is Joseph, in jail unjustly, and does he whine? Does he complain? Does he behave in a difficult manner? Does he sulk? Does he fume? We aren’t told of anything like that. We are told that he was the model prisoner. And the jailer entrusted to Joseph the care of the other prisoners. Even in jail, Joseph is responsible, reliable, and compassionate. He can be trusted.

We are told that this is so because God is with Joseph. God showed Joseph steadfast love. That enabled Joseph to accept his circumstances with equanimity and to wait patiently for whatever would come next. Not only does Joseph accept being in jail when he was framed but he helps the others who are there. He finds a way to serve.

God’s love is always with each and every one of us whether or not we can see it. And that love seeks expression. Whatever our circumstances, whatever misfortune befalls us, there is always some way that we can express the love of God. There is always a way for the love of God to flow through us. There is always a need that we can respond to with God’s love. Evidently, the way the story is told, God needed Joseph in that prison. He shouldn’t be there. He is there unjustly. But since he is there, God can use him.

And that service not only ministers to the prisoners and to the jailer, but it sustains Joseph. He is needed. He has a purpose. He can help the other prisoners. He can exercise his power, limited though it may be. This gives him dignity. This helps to prevent his spiraling into self pity. This gives him constructive purpose. This reinforces his self worth. Helping the jailer and serving the other prisoners gets Joseph through the dark days of his unjust imprisonment.

When we are going through dark days, this is a time to think about how we can shine the light of God for someone else. That helps the other person, and it will help us.

Prayer
Divine love continuously seeks to sustain us. May we accept that love by sharing it where it is needed. Amen.

“When Potiphar’s wife saw that Joseph had left his garment in her hand and had fled outside, she called out to the members of her household and said to them, ‘See, my husband has brought among us a Hebrew to insult us! He came in to me to lie with me, and I cried out with a loud voice, and when he heard me raise my voice and cry out, he left his garment beside me, and fled outside.’” Genesis 39:13-18 NRSV

Framed. Falsely accused. The scapegoat. The innocent victim. Joseph has been falsely accused of attempted rape by the wife of his master. Cleary, he has no power. His word is worthless. The deck is completely stacked against him. The other servants cannot risk standing up for him. He has no hope of his truth being believed. Or justice being done. And, yes, he ends up in jail as a result of his master’s rage.

Not only is this story reminiscent of stories we hear from the days of slavery in the United States, but it still echoes truth today. Many women today still don’t bother to report sexual assault or rape because they know there will be a difficult investigation and very likely no conviction. So, why bother?

But victimhood doesn’t end there. I remember our older son being punished in third grade for something that he did not do. He accepted the punishment. I asked him why he had not explained to the teacher what had actually happened. He told me, “At school, they start with the assumption that the students are lying.” So, why bother defending yourself with the truth? He simply took the punishment.

So many people today are in the position of Joseph. Framed. Taken advantage of. Victimized. Here’s a ready, willing, impoverished labor pool. We’ll get them to work in the mines. Or the factories. Or the fields. With no rights. No protections. No unions. And minimal pay. That sure sounds like a set up, doesn’t it? Inner cities wracked with despair, we’ll give them crack and other drugs, and then arrest them and keep the privately run prisons filled so the prison/industrial complex gets rich and lines the pockets of the politicians. Another set up. A problem at work? Your superior lies about what happened. You know they won’t believe you, at the bottom. There’s nothing you can do. People are being lied to, lied about, taken advantage of, used, and abused each and every day. Some of it is in the domestic sphere. Some in the corporate sphere. Also even in the political/governmental sphere in some places. Innocent victims. With no where to turn. Powerless. Given no fair chance and with no opportunity for the truth to be heard.

And there are those who get away with it. And know that they will get away with it. They can count on it. Because they are rich and money talks.

In the story of Joseph, he eventually does get out of jail. And his position and reputation are restored. But that is rare today, isn’t it?

Prayer
It’s easy to ignore innocent victims with no voice and no power. May we look for those who are suffering injustice and lend our voices. May we speak out for those who cannot speak or who will not be heard. May we voice God’s cry for justice in this precious world. Amen.

And although Potiphar’s wife spoke to Joseph day after day, he would not consent to lie beside her or to be with her. One day, however, when he went into the house to do his work, and while no one else was in the house, she caught hold of his garment, saying, ‘Lie with me!’ But he left his garment in her hand, and fled and ran outside. Genesis 39: 10-12

Well, this story definitely reminds us that inappropriate sexual behavior is nothing new. Infidelity is nothing new. Power expressed through sexual advances is nothing new. Rape, of men and women, is nothing new. Being a victim of sexual assault is nothing new. How sad that we have not overcome these harmful behaviors.

Sexual messages assault us daily. Be sexy. Expect sexy. Clothes. Make up. Muscles. Surgical nips and tucks and more are all about our being more attractive to a potential sexual partner. Evolutionarily, it’s as if we were dying out and seeking ways to increase our procreation to save the species. This, when the very opposite is true.

In one way, it seems like we put too much emphasis on sex because we are apathetic about it and trying to make it a bigger deal because we think it should be a bigger deal. People are apathetic. About social issues. About personal relationships. Easier to live through the screen and not invest yourself in your “real” life. People are distracted. Too much going on. Too tired. Too busy working. No energy for sex. People are afraid of intimacy – emotional and physical. So they ignore sex. But then they realize, I should be paying attention to this, and express that interest inappropriately.

On the other hand, sexual attraction is very powerful. We should expect it to be powerful. And we should moderate our behavior accordingly. We need to learn to recognize our feelings and our desires and deal with them in ways that have integrity and are honest and not harmful to ourselves or others.

It is also worth noting that sex is a mystery. Why we are attracted to certain people? Why is there is that depth of feeling that craves physical expression? Why is there the bodily desire of such magnitude? The way sex works on us and what it does to us can be baffling. Though anthropologists and evolutionary scientists have explanations for our drives, there is still a dimension of inexplicable mystery.

And, as we have known for years, rape and sexual assault, are not about sex but about power. Conquering armies raping women is not about sex but power. The recent revelations about football players and domestic violence is certainly about power. Rape of men by men in prison is about power. Sex can be a tool for subjugation.

What was Potiphar’s wife’s agenda? Was she so attracted to Joseph? Was she bored with her husband? Were his long hours on security detail leaving her lonely? Was she jealous of Joseph’s rise to power in her household and wanting to put him in his place, this upstart foreigner? Whatever her motives, her behavior was unethical, immoral, and harmful.

What can we learn here? We need to pay attention to our sexuality: to what we are thinking and feeling. And then make decisions about our behavior that are consistent with our values, our beliefs, and our respect for ourselves and others.

Prayer
We have so many choices in this life. We want to make decisions about our sexual behavior that honor the sacredness of every human person. May we treat ourselves and others with respect. May we be true to our commitments and take delight in our loving relationships. Amen.