“I will lead blind Israel down a new path, guiding them along an unfamiliar way. I will brighten the darkness before them and smooth out the road ahead of them. Yes, I will indeed do these things; I will not forsake them.” – Isaiah 42:16
We are going to continue looking at Joshua, a man that lived by faith and walked by faith. Because of that faith, we are still talking about him today. Joshua wasn’t thinking about his legacy when he was living it, but he WAS committed to fulfilling his destiny. And he accomplished that through walking by faith and obeying the Lord.
But who was Joshua, you might ask? Joshua was a SLAVE. In fact, he was born a slave under Pharaoh in Egypt about 40 years before the Exodus. He was born into bondage. He was a man that knew something about the lash of a whip. He knew what it was like to work in the brick fields. He was born a slave.
Now, there is a lot more to Joshua than just being a slave. We are going to uncover those things in the coming days. But I want to stop there. Thousands of years later, we are STILL TALKING ABOUT JOSHUA. How is it that this slave boy from Egypt had such an impactful life that the Bible recorded his story?
That shouldn’t happen to a slave, right? Well, the reason that Joshua left a legacy that we are still talking about today is because that’s not the end. The story isn’t over. And the reason the story isn’t over is because Joshua didn’t allow it to be. This is a man who went on to live a life of great faith. He didn’t allow the bad beginning to dictate the rest of his life.
Are you in a bad place right now? Did you start out with cards you wish you weren’t dealt? Do you constantly wonder why God gave you the upbringing you had and why others got to live a better childhood? You can sit around and waste time thinking about these things. Joshua could have. But HE DIDN’T.
Joshua understood he couldn’t control how the story started, but he was determined to make sure that was not the end! And you can do the same. Your story isn’t finished. How you start is NOT how you finish. At least, it doesn’t have to be! What are you going to do today to change your story?