Astounding grace

Read: Genesis 45
Early in the history of Israel Joseph had opportunity to return evil for evil. Joseph acted with astounding grace. Joseph forgave his brothers for seeking to take his life, selling him as a slave, and for years of injury. What was his secret for forgiveness?

I'd say astounding grace is an understatement.  I'm not sure I would have been able to react the way Joseph did.  I mean, his brothers basically left him for dead because they hated him so much.  In Joseph's position in Egypt, he could have easily reacted differently and not given them anything in order to survive the famine.  But instead, he extends grace.  Why?  The simple answer is God.  But I think if we take it a step beyond that simple answer, Joseph lets us in on a little more in this passage:

• He believes in a higher purpose that he ended up in Egypt  - "because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you." and "But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance."
• He hold his brothers responsible for what happened; rather, He believes it was God's doing -
  ⁸ “So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God. He made me father to Pharaoh, lord of his entire household and ruler of all Egypt.

In summary, Joseph was able to see the bigger picture and see how God was able to use something that was seemingly bad in the beginning for the good of Joseph and his entire family.  

When we are wronged, it's very easy to 'live in the moment' and not consider how God might use it for our good in the future. But we should remember God's promises to us and know that God makes all things work together for our good - even the things that we might not consider a blessing at the time. (Romans 8:28)