Forgotten

One of my all-time favorite movies is Mr. Holland’s Opus. Maybe because I have spent many years as a teacher – but more because most people can identify with Mr. Holland. He spent his life as a teacher, while wanting to write his musical masterpiece. He feels throughout the movie as if he is totally forgotten in all the needs of family, students, and others.

Most of us can identify that feeling of being forgotten or overlooked in life. Just as with Joseph, we can do all the right things and still wind up on the short end of the stick. We strive to advance, we study to be better, we work hard, we do everything exactly the way we should – and still it seems that nobody notices. Worse yet, it feels as if nobody cares.

Joseph’s life went from pinnacles to pits repeatedly. He was his father’s favorite and his brothers put him in a pit and sold him as a slave. He rose to a position of prestige in Potiphar’s house only to be lied about and sent to prison. He had every right in our human way of thinking of throwing in the towel.

Nevertheless, Joseph kept on keeping on in serving God. God had gifted him in special ways (just as He has each of us). Joseph saw the need to love God and other people. He did not let the circumstances of his life dictate to him whether he would serve God or not. He appears to understand that God’s payday is not always that same week.

We have the privilege of seeing the end of the story while Joseph did not as he lived through it. We have a God who knows the end of our story – even while we are living through it today. We are reminded in Hebrews 6:10 (HCSB) – “For God is not unjust; He will not forget your work and the love you showed for His name when you served the saints—and you continue to serve them.” We have a choice when we feel that we are being forgotten. We can choose to sit around and hold a one-person pity-party, or we can respond by doing what we have been called to do. God never promised that serving Him, loving others, and staying the course would be easy. He did show us that it will have a future reward.

By the way, in the movie – at the end Mr. Holland is shown how much he is loved and appreciated in a great way.