Joseph named his firstborn Manasseh and said, "It is because God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father's household." The second son he named Ephraim and said, "It is because God has made me fruitful in the land of my suffering."
Genesis 41:51-52
As you know, Joseph was one of the twelve sons of Jacob. Joseph's story is a beautiful story of forgiveness and redemption. His brothers sold him as a slave, and he ended up in jail due to a woman's lies. Nevertheless, the favor of God was always with him, and he died as the second in command over the land of Egypt.
The Bible tells us that Joseph named his sons Manasseh, which means God made me forget, and Ephraim, which means double fruitful or two-fold increase. Joseph did not choose those names randomly. His sons' names represented God's grace over the seasons of his life. By the time Manasseh was born, he had forgiven his brothers’ treason, and God helped him forget the pain of slavery. Ephraim represented the abundance and riches he lived in after he forgave.
Today I want to make you ponder that Joseph's abundance, his double portion, only came after he forgave. Can we consider the possibility that forgiveness and a two-fold increase might go hand in hand? Could it be possible that we cannot have one without the other?
My father had a rough childhood because my grandfather abandoned his family for another woman. Dad suffered extreme poverty and the loss of two of his siblings and mother partly due to poverty while he was still young. Years later, when my grandfather needed help, my dad, who had already forgiven him, blessed him unconditionally until the day he died.
By the grace of God, my father has lived a long and blessed life. God blessed the fruit of his labor, and his family never lacked anything. My father has lived to his old age happily, peacefully, healthy, and surrounded by people who love and respect him. He is truly blessed, but I believe with all my heart that he would not have what he has if he had not extended forgiveness to the people that made his childhood and youth miserable.
My friends, life is too short, and God is too good to live holding on to grudges. If you have suffered greatly due to the selfish decisions of some people, it is time for you to move on from that pain and forgive them. I promise that God will help you forget your pain once you let go of your resentment. All you will remember will be the lessons you learned from that pain. Let your grudges go. Forgive those people, and let God bless you with a two-fold increase in every area of your life.
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