GRACE is a ‘Divine influence that inspire virtuous occurrences in the life of humans’. While recognition can be defined as ‘to give a favourable notice to somebody; give someone a good attention or for someone to be accorded honour’.
Everyone loves to be recognised in a good way. Either for who they are; what they are doing or what they have done. People become recipient of such good attention if they are born into a honourable family; if they are successful in hard work; or if they deceive people into believing they are what they are not.
Interestingly, some people are just blessed with ‘grace of recognition’. It is a genome that God has put into such people that make them exemplary. So that wherever they are, even without making any compelling effort, they will still get favourably noticed, given good attention and accorded honours.
In Gen. 37: 2-4, we read that the life of Joseph was such that enjoyed grace of recognition. He was born into a family of twelve sons, he was the number eleven, yet he was the most recognised. The attention given to him by their father was second to none. The honour accorded to him was special. His dresses, meals, tasks, etc were all specially arranged as he grew up as a child.
Also, when he got to Potiphar’s house as a slave, the grace of recognition was seen upon his life. Potiphar must have had other servants, particularly Egyptian house helps, but he accorded greater honour to Joseph and treated him as a son rather than a slave (Gen. 39:1-9).
Again, when Joseph was in prison, the grace of recognition was seen on him still. Usually, the Commander of prison inmates is usually either the one who has served the longest time; the one who is the strongest physically or the one who is the oldest in age. Joseph was young, a foreign inmate, a new arrival, not physically powerful and yet became the Commander of the inmates because he received favourable notice from the Chief Warder and other inmates (Gen. 39:19-23).
It was the grace of recognition that made the Chief Butler and the Chief Baker to have conversation with a slave prisoner who was very low in social strata compared to them (Gen. 40:6-19). After Joseph gave the interpretation of Pharaoh’s dreams, the grace of recognition made it that Joseph was given unbelievable power and attention in Egypt and also given the king’s daughter as a wife without family introduction! (Gen. 41:25-45).
In this month of May and henceforth, God will bless our parish and our members with grace of recognition. Individuals and families within us will start to enjoy favourable notices; good attentions and exemplary honours. Places that they have not given us heed before shall herald our presence in Jesus name.
