Retreat!

Now Joseph was well-built and handsome, and after a while his master's wife took notice of Joseph and said, "Come to bed with me!" But he refused… And though she spoke to Joseph day after day, he refused to go to bed with her or even be with her. One day he went into the house to attend to his duties, and none of the household servants was inside. She caught him by his cloak and said, "Come to bed with me!" But he left his cloak in her hand and ran out of the house. Genesis 39:6-12




Today's Reading: Genesis 39-40; Matthew 11




The homies and I went to Hollywood Saturday night for a friend’s event but we showed up way too late with way too many dudes. After a more than gracious attempt by her and the host of the event we still couldn’t get everyone in so we left and started walking around.


Suddenly we found ourselves face to face with a Popeye’s chicken.


Mmmhhmmm…


At the beginning of the month my friends and I decided to engage in a 90 day fitness challenge. We set goals for ourselves and shared them with each other as a way to stay motivated to take our fitness to the next level. However, a couple of my friends were all about getting that chicken so we walked inside.


The door opened and we were flooded with a wave of sweet, delicious aroma; the likes of which could only have its origins in a delicate mixture of hot oil, questionably fresh chicken, and secret Louisiana spices. I was weak at first but somehow held strong; sitting in a booth fifteen yards away from the cash registers with my back to the object of my temptation.


After a few minutes I turned to look at the battlefield. I saw three casualties at the register with their wallets out and big smiles on their faces.


Then I saw Kieran. He was several steps back from the carnage, held up in the trenches but looking over the edge with a contemplative glaze over his eyes. He was within range of the enemy gunfire. I had to act.


I got up, risking defeat by the tasty wings and thighs, and reached out with all my will power and grabbed him by the shoulder.


“You don’t want any of that man” I said.


“You’re right.”


We both walked away from the battle, wounded, but still in tact. It was a tough ordeal.


Joseph’s situation was just a tad tougher to deal with… but it is interesting because it is so incredibly real and relevant to today’s world.


Joseph has now been sold into slavery and grown into a smart, responsible “well-built and handsome” young man. Most women like those traits in a man and so does Potiphar’s wife.


Some time ago my Stepdad told me that the worst thing that could happen to a woman at work is for her boss to develop a crush on her. She has two choices: date him or quit.


Neither of those choice are a good look.


Joseph’s situation is much worse. Given that this woman is married to his OWNER, Joseph doesn’t have many options here. He can either run, or run.


That’s about it.


He starts off by making sure that he is never “with her”. I take that to mean that he was dodging her around the house; making sure to never be alone with her.


Smart man.


Then she corners him and grabs his cloak! And he leaves it with her!


That’s hilarious. Think about the imagery here. She grabs his robe and he straight slips out of it. I imagine a cartoon puff of smoke in his wake like the old roadrunner and coyote cartoons. What did he have on underneath? A loin cloth? Was he going commando?


Yikes.


He did what he had to do; not only to get away, but to avoid violating the spiritual and moral code he set for his life.

The moral here… sometimes you gotta run.

When you have a bad habit or a bad situation that you are dealing with the best first option is to make sure that you don’t put yourself in the same space with it. But sometimes life isn’t that easy. Sometimes your coworker hands you cigarette, or your friend buys you a drink, or that bad situation all of the sudden seems to have you backed into a corner. When you sense that temptation is about to get the best of you it is better to walk or even run away than to break down and compromise the righteous path.

Yes, we all make mistakes and can be forgiven for them. But, life is much easier if we do all that we can to avoid them. This may sound silly now, but I hope that when your “Potiphar’s wife” comes and grabs your cloak; you have the wherewithal to kick up some dust and sprint your way out of trouble.

Easier said than done