genesis 37: 3 Jacob loved Joseph more than any of his other children because Joseph had been born to him in his old age. So one day Jacob had a special gift made for Joseph—a beautiful robe. 4 But his brothers hated Joseph because their father loved him more than the rest of them. They couldn’t say a kind word to him.
10 This time he told the dream to his father as well as to his brothers, but his father scolded him. “What kind of dream is that?” he asked. “Will your mother and I and your brothers actually come and bow to the ground before you?” 11 But while his brothers were jealous of Joseph, his father wondered what the dreams meant.
18 When Joseph’s brothers saw him coming, they recognized him in the distance. As he approached, they made plans to kill him.
37 Joseph’s suggestions were well received by Pharaoh and his officials. 38 So Pharaoh asked his officials, “Can we find anyone else like this man so obviously filled with the spirit of God?” 39 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has revealed the meaning of the dreams to you, clearly no one else is as intelligent or wise as you are. 40 You will be in charge of my court, and all my people will take orders from you. Only I, sitting on my throne, will have a rank higher than yours.”
genesis 45: 3 “I am Joseph!” he said to his brothers. “Is my father still alive?” But his brothers were speechless! They were stunned to realize that Joseph was standing there in front of them. 4 “Please, come closer,” he said to them. So they came closer. And he said again, “I am Joseph, your brother, whom you sold into slavery in Egypt. 5 But don’t be upset, and don’t be angry with yourselves for selling me to this place. It was God who sent me here ahead of you to preserve your lives.

Joseph had a rough life... I would think in the beginning he would have expected to have an easy time of it.. being his father's favorite and all.. but his brothers hated him... just because his father loved him and God was giving him vision.... not because of anything he had done to them... jealousy is  a terrible thing.. I wonder how many times we are jealous of someone else because God smiles on them... or how many times people hate us for that...

so Joseph is sold into slavery by his brothers... imprisioned by a lustful woman's husband... and forgotten by those that he helped get out of prison.. but all these things are preparing him to be the man that he is called to be... so eventually.. God calls him up to the Pharoah.. he is given power and position... and before long.. even his brothers have to come to him... for most of us.. our reaction to seeing the people who caused our pain for so many years would not have been a positive one... yet Joseph says to them.. that even though they meant him harm.. God used all of the circumstances of his life to create a path to save many people...

the only way this could have been the way he was looking at this situation and at his brother is if he had forgiven them... and because he had forgiven them completely.. their family was restored... Joseph still received everything God said he would.. and his family was restored to him too... forgiveness is such an important factor in our lives... when we are angry and resentful and bitter.. we are part of the problem.. when we learn to forgive even those who mean us harm.. we become part of the solution...