When I taught middle school, I caught a student blatantly cheating during a vocabulary quiz one time.
It was pretty classic, as he had all the answers written in blue ink on the palm of his hand.
I was disappointed in this student’s decision, and we had a discussion where he confessed and apologized.
I made a note to call his mom after school to discuss the situation.
As soon as school got out, my Vice Principal showed up in my room, letting me know that this student’s mom just called, furious that her son was being falsely accused of cheating.
She had just picked up her son from school, and this mom said her son was telling her he had a friend’s phone number written on his hand, and that I had made the whole thing up.
I was… very frustrated, to say the least.
As a new teacher, never did I think that a parent would accuse me of lying so dramatically or trying to frame their child.
He was the one who had made a poor decision, and now I was being falsely accused?!
Luckily, the whole situation was resolved peaceably and I had some good talks with this kid’s mom.
But for just a moment, I felt that heavy sting of false accusation.
This mom really thought for a moment that I was trying to intentionally frame her child, and it did not feel good.
Now 1000000x more dramatic and serious than my experience, I imagine how Joseph must have felt after Potiphar’s wife accused him of a very serious sin.
And Potiphar’s reaction? He “took him, and put him into the prison”. (Genesis 39:20)
He did everything right, and yet his reputation was completely ruined, along with his lost freedom.
So where’s the redemption?
“But the Lord was with Joseph, and shewed him mercy, and gave him favour in the sight of the keeper of the prison.” (Genesis 39:21)
The Lord still showed mercy and still showered Joseph with blessings.
His circumstances may not have looked great, but he knew he at least had the Lord’s mercy.
Mercy and blessings always follow those who put their faith in God, no matter the circumstance!
Happy Studying!
-Cali Black
2 Responses
This whole situation was a blessing for Joseph and his family. Joseph was not put to death for this crime he was falsely accused of. He was put in prison. Which prison? The one the Lord needed him to be in for the baker and butler. The one that pharaoh would call for him from. If Joseph had not been sold into Egypt, if he had not passed the spiritual test with Potiphar’s wife, if he had not been thrown into that prison, etc. where would we all be. God be praised for His divine plan, even the trials and tests.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts! I love this perspective.