2022 Graduation Magazine

CLASS OF 2022 LINCOLN DAILY NEWS.COM MAY / JUNE 2022 Page 71 Dalrymple had not talked to his wife about the job at Christianity Today for a while and was unsure how to approach her. However, before Dalrymple said anything to his wife, she turned to him and said she thought he should take the job. She felt God wanted them to go there and they should be willing to go. In Joseph’s story, his life changed when he went before Pharaoh. When Pharaoh asked Joseph if he could interpret his dream, Joseph had a fascinating response. Joseph said, “I cannot do it, but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires.” By then, Joseph had begun to realize he was not the weaver of the tapestry of his life. Dalrymple said it was Joseph’s job to be faithful and a receptacle to God’s will. It was God’s job to accomplish a purpose through Joseph. Once Joseph interpreted Pharaoh’s dream, Pharaoh made Joseph the second most powerful in the empire. Joseph saved countless lives. When Joseph’s brothers came to him during the famine, Joseph was able to provide for them. In revealing his identity to his brother’s Joseph said it was God who had put him there. Joseph later told them “you intended to harm me, but God intended it for good.” What Dalrymple said Joseph finally realized is that he was not the weaver of the tapestry of his life. Joseph was the witness and the storyteller. As Dalrymple ended his address, he said what it means for the graduates on the verge of a new chapter is to be not afraid. You are not in the place of God. God has his own plans for your life and his own promises. God has his own tapestry that his great skill in great love is weaving together, even now, for each one. His final key point was “You are not the weaver of the tapestry of your life. You are the storyteller.” You are the one who can look back and see the work of God. You can see how all the past weaves together who you are now. [You can see how] the work you are given to do today will bear witness to the world of the work God has in and through your life. There are those who may say it all worked out for Joseph, but what if it doesn’t for me. For those who are fearful, Dalrymple reminded them God works all things together for those love him and are called according to his purpose. Quoting Proverbs 3:5-6, Dalrymple said, “lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight.’ Continue 8