FAMILY ...

sink into problematic situations. Third, Joseph faithfully discharged any responsibility given him with skill and wisdom, whether as a servant in a household, in a prison, or in the palace. Fourth, he trusted God who is the dream-giver and dream-fulfiller in every circumstance he found himself in, helping him overcome each difficulty.

Joseph exemplified what research shows as needed of resilient children. Developmental psychologist Dr. Edith Grotberg of the International Resilience Project study mentioned three sources of resilience:

I Have - trusting relationships; structure and rules at home; role models; encouragement to be autonomous; access to health, education, security services.

I Am - a person others can like and love; glad to do nice things for others; respectful; responsible; filled with hope, faith and trust. I Can - communicate, problem-solve, manage my feelings and impulses, gauge the temperament of others and myself, seek trusting relationships. It takes a combination of two or three of these for the child to thrive and triumph.

In Joseph’s case, he had all three sources of resilience as enumerated earlier. But the account is also clear that the bottom line behind his success was: “The Lord was with Joseph, so he became a successful man” (Gen. 39:2-6, 21-23; 41:38-40). In these difficult times with the spate of destruction, diseases, and death that could affect our families, it is important that parents promote resilience in children.