Did you have any brothers or sisters growing up? If so, what was the birth order? Were you the oldest, youngest, or maybe the middle child? What was the baby of the family treated like? Royalty as though they could do no wrong, or were they overlooked and ignored? Sometimes when reading the story of Joseph, we can be tempted to overlook the emotional pain and hurt associated with Joseph and his relationship with his family members due to our familiarity with the story. Today, as you listen and consider the teaching from Pastor Anton, try and imagine what it would have been like for Joseph to be brought up in such a dysfunctional family home environment. Consider the betrayal and heartache he must have faced when they seized him and threw him into the empty cistern to die. Only to have his hopes crushed again as a result of being pulled out of the cistern, and then betrayed again as he was sold to traders headed to Egypt. Yet through all of this, God had His hand of blessing and provision upon Joseph. As you listen and consider this teaching, consider your own story, and what you have faced through life up till this point. Consider what God has brought you through, and where He is leading you in the days to come. We hope and trust that you will be encouraged.