Fruitful in the midst of suffering

July 30, 2026

Key points from this story:

• Suffering can lead to growth and blessing
• Joseph's story exemplifies resilience
• God redeems situations meant for evil
• Perspective change brings fruitfulness
• Recognizing God's work in hardship
• Your suffering is not for nothing

I don't know about you, but when I suffer hardship, difficulty, misunderstanding or whatever else unpleasant that I am going through, my first response is usually something negative, not positive. Just a few weeks ago, I had to deal with a business situation that had gone anything but smoothly, and I found myself grumbling, complaining, and feeling sorry for myself. It was not until I realized that something good could come out of this very disturbing situation, that I asked God, (and my wife!) for forgiveness, and asked Jesus to change my heart and my attitude. You know what? He did! My joy, peace, patience, kindness, etc. began to return, and the difficult task of handling a very difficult situation became an opportunity for growth and blessing.

Another guy, many, many, many years ago, found himself in a situation a thousand times more difficult than the one I had faced. Joseph had been sold by his brothers into slavery. He had been taken to a foreign country. He had been falsely accused as a slave, and then thrown into prison. His Dad thought he was dead. And he was in the situation he was in, because his own brothers hated him so much, that they were the ones who had sold him.

After many years, things turned around for Joseph in surprising and huge ways. He was released from prison. He became the second most powerful leader in the land. He was still separated from family and friends. He was still a foreigner in a land not his own. He still carried the scars of the past. But, along the journey something had happened. He had learned how to flourish and be fruitful in the midst of suffering. Joseph even named his son Ephraim, which literally means "twice fruitful". Yup, Joseph saw God's hand in the midst of the mess and the tragedy, and came to a stunning realization. What was that realization? It was this. What others had meant for evil in his life, God redeemed and reclaimed, and turned to the good.

When you face hardship, difficulty, misunderstanding, or anything else unpleasant; recognizing that The Great God is at work, bringing good out of evil, and triumph out of tragedy. This is the first step towards fruitfulness in the midst of suffering. Seeing things in this new light will literally change your heart, and will begin to produce good fruit in your life. Joseph invites us into an ongoing decision to see difficulties through God's eyes, and to believe that what others have meant for evil, God can and will turn it to good.

A rather famous follower of Jesus made this statement, "your suffering is not for nothing". May your suffering not be for nothing, but may it lead to fruitfulness in your life and in the lives of those around you. For the rest of this story read Genesis Chapters 37-50 in the Bible.