In Parshat Vayigash we find that after all that Yosef has been through- as a 17 year old he was treated unfairly by his brothers, sold as a slave, accused of rape, sent to prison- he came out on top, as Pharaoh’s viceroy- and he saw that all of those events happened for a reason.

When Yosef finally revealed his identity to his brothers, he said: (Breisheet 45:4-5, 7) “I am Yosef your brother whom you sold into Egypt. Now do not be grieved or angry with yourselves because you sold me here, it was to save life that God sent me ahead of you. God has sent me ahead of you to ensure your survival on earth and to save your lives by great deliverance.”

Although Yosef did not have an easy life, he felt that whatever happened was in the hands of God. That didn’t stop Yosef from giving his brothers some pain and suffering before he revealed who he really was. However, once he explained who he was he no longer held a grudge.

After making his brothers feel guilty about selling him (machartem oti), Yosef explains that the reason he was in Egypt was because he was fulfilling God’s mission (vayishlecheni Elokim).

As we go through life we have our ups and downs. Some days can be great, others can be depressing. Yet knowing that everything has a reason and that there is a light at the end of the tunnel can help us get through the dark times. Yosef didn’t sit and mope, he worked his way up whether it was in Potiphar’s house, in prison or in the royal palace. Since Yosef had never really worked (aside from helping take care of his father) his brothers thought that he would not have survived as a slave and therefore they spoke about him as being dead. They didn’t realize the tremendous amount of drive and energy that Yosef had to get ahead.

Lets each look at our own lives and find ways to turn the darkness into light the way that Yosef did.