Betrayed by Family

Betrayal. We have all experienced it in some form.

Maybe it was in your junior high class when your friend shares your secret crush that you had begged them not to share. Maybe you were in a relationship and they lied to you.  Maybe it’s a memory of a parent tearing you down that haunts you. Or maybe your spouse said something incredibly hurtful in an argument and you are thinking "how could they say that to me and yet they stood at the alter expressing their undying love?" Family relationship betrayal often hurts the worst because we have the expectation of love.

Betrayal is not far from us and it also wasn't far from those that we read about in scripture. Of course when I think about the ultimate betrayal, I think about Jesus. However, I am reading through the Old Testament with a group this year, and a few days ago I read some of Joseph's story in Genesis 37-41. This morning some things hit me.

In chapter 37, Joseph is betrayed... by his family- his own brothers. They took his prized coat, threw him in a pit, sat to eat a meal, then sold him!

Wounded by family. Whether it’s from a parent, a sibling, our entire family, our spouse or a child, we feel betrayed by our own flesh and blood and it hurts us deeply.

And yet...

I continue to read what happens to Joseph after this and I am astounded at his strength that comes from his desire to honor God.

"The Lord was with Joseph, so he became a successful man." Genesis 39:2

"Now his master saw that the Lord was with him and how the Lord caused all that he did to prosper in his hand. So Joseph found favor in his sight..." Genesis 39:3

the story goes on to tell us that Joseph was “handsome in appearance and form” and his masters wife took notice of this. In her own sin, she looked at Joseph with desire and asked him to lie with her.

Joseph's response?

..."Behold with me here, my master does not concern himself with anything in the house, and has put all that he owns in my charge. There is no one greater in this house than I, and he has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do this great evil and sin against God?" Genesis 39:8-10

And it says she CONTINUED, day after day, to pursue him. And day after day he did not listen to her or give in to her.

Joseph had an inner strength. Even after being betrayed by his family, he did not look for his heart to be fixed by the world. Betrayal often causes us to look for love. We look for love in the arms, presence, or emotions of another human being because we have lacked it in our lives. This is the pattern of the world and I have even experienced aspects of the pattern myself. And yet, Joseph refuses to do that.

Joseph is then betrayed by his master’s wife. She lies and says that he pursued her instead, and Joseph is imprisoned. That doesn't seem fair, does it?

Even while in jail it says, "But the Lord was with Joseph and extended kindness to him and gave him favor in the sign of the chief jailer." Genesis 39:21

If we fast forward a bit, we see in Genesis 41:38, Joseph ends up being made a ruler in Egypt. There is much more to the story, but I camp out in the former part of the story because it’s something the world faces daily. A betrayal at some point falls upon us all and we lose sight.

We lose sight of the bigger picture.

Joseph didn't. Betrayed by his brothers. Betrayed by this women. Thrown in a pit. Thrown in jail. He continued to remain steadfast and the Lord blessed him for it.

There are few things that hurt more than being betrayed by family or a loved one. Yet, God calls us to run to Him, not to the things on this earth to satisfy the ache. He is the only one that satisfies and heals the broken hearted. He is the only one that can fill us up and turn the ashes of a situation into something beautiful.

Through all our betrayals, may we run to the one who never will betray us.

The Trip of a Lifetime

"Never get so busy making a living that you forget to make a life"

In all honesty, this is one of my biggest challenges. Good things take time and good things take work. Not that I am putting running a business on a pedestal, but I feel that there is always something that needs to be done. When you run your own business, you take on multiple hats; creator, customer service, secretary, stocker, thinker, organizer... 

And for me, the even bigger challenge is staying on task when your studio is out of your home. I have to work hard to focus and not get distracted during my work day by piles of laundry, dishes, cleaning, cooking. Its hard to balance the "work at home" lifestyle sometimes. I have come a long way, but still have much to learn! 

We will be moving in June, most likely to Galveston, TX. Andrew got into PA School (so proud of him!!) and we are ALMOST 100% sure that we have chosen UTMB for his further schooling. We will have been married for 4 years in April and still have yet to start a family. We wanted to wait until Andrew is almost done with school before we started trying. 

So... before Andrew starts school and before we begin having children. We decided to do something that we have always talked about doing together. 

The Trip of a Lifetime.

It was almost hard for me to agree to at first. I felt guilt. I was nervous about keeping my shop closed for so long. What will people think? Will we look reckless and irresponsible? Can we really afford to be doing this right now? Maybe we should just wait....

But the truth of the matter was, if we didn't do it NOW... there most likely would not be a better time. So after 2014's year end, we looked at our budget and agreed that now was the time. So, Andrew got to planning. And now it's happening. We are 1 month away from our DREAM TRIP. Most days I can't even believe its going to happen.

This year, June, will mark 4 years for my business! I feel that I have worked so hard to get to the place I am at, and my business is such an important part of our life. It will carry us through Andrew's schooling and allow me to be home while Andrew is studying like crazy (we hear the first year of PA School is a tough one!).

In one month we will be traveling for about 34 days with an additional few days tagged on to the front end and back end in Boston to see our families before and after the trip. And we will be going to the following list of places:

Iceland

London

Morocco

Venice

Florence

Rome

Bari

Croatia

Barcelona

Paris

Amsterdam

Even as I type out all of those places...I wonder what things we will see, what adventures we will have and certainly what obstacles may come our way with so many flights, train rides, buses, subways and taxis in our future!! 

I am so excited for this trip and especially excited to go on it with my best friend. I feel super spoiled as I haven't had to plan a thing. Andrew loves planning and is currently working on putting together a printed itinerary for the entire thing so I can carry it with me on our trip. 

As I reflect on the quote, "never get so busy making a living that you forget to make a life." I am also reminded of the verse in Proverbs 3:5, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart...". This verse is one that God continues to place on my heart this year. I may feel fear of shutting down the For Such A Time shop for this long, but these are precious memories that I will be making with my husband before we begin a new chapter, him in school and me as I support us both and also before we start a family. 

I trust that just as God has provided for our needs thus far, he will continue to do so and that He will continue to use For Such A Time Designs in our lives and the lives of others as He sees fit. I will continue to work hard, serve my customers to my best ability, and trust that God has a plan for me and for my business and that He will always provide for our needs. 

xo, Aly