The Old Testament lesson for Sunday is the story of Joseph and his brothers in Genesis. The brothers sold Joseph into slavery after being convince not to kill him, and he suffered as a slave and in prison because of their treachery.
Years later, when Joseph became rich and powerful in Egypt, he had the opportunity to get back at his brothers who had to beg him for food during a famine. He could have punished them severely; but instead he chose to forgive them and to supply them with food and a place to live. In doing so, he saved their families from starvation, and preserved their posterity.
When he forgave them, Joseph said to his brothers, "Even though you intended to do harm to me, God intended it for good, in order to preserve a numerous people."
Joseph re-framed the picture by viewing it from a larger perspective. For Joseph, his suffering at the hands of his brothers was the means God used to save his people from starvation and continue the line of Abraham as God promised. Joseph was able to re-frame the situation.
When we need to forgive another person, it's often helpful for us to re-frame the picture. If we ask, "What is God trying to tell me in this situation", or, "What is God trying to accomplish in this problem," then we may find a new way of looking at our situation that allows us to forgive the one who hurt us.
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