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“And Joseph said unto them, Fear not: for am I in the place of God? But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.” The question in verse 19 is key to understanding the theme of forgiveness. To hold a sin against another, or to take vengeance for their evil is to put one’s self in the place of God. Sins are self-centered actions; by their very nature they put us in a place (in our own minds) of equality with God. By indulging ourselves in sin, we are making ourselves preeminent. When we do this, we are both acting against our own best interest, and rejecting the potential for a wonderful working of God. Joseph chose not to put himself first, and, in God’s reverse logic, therefore obtained a greater benefit. Can’t we see like Joseph that by doing what we want we are working against God? He had a magnificent plan in mind for this young man sold into slavery. Let us not automatically assume all difficult things are bad for us. Certainly it will be hard to see good at the moment of pain, but if we take a moment to observe the bigger picture, we may realize that our Lord indeed works in the most evil of circumstances.