WHEN WOUNDS GO UNSEEN
Acts 7:9–10 (ESV)
“And the patriarchs, jealous of Joseph, sold him into Egypt; but God was with him and rescued him out of all his afflictions and gave him favor and wisdom before Pharaoh, king of Egypt, who made him ruler over Egypt and over all his household.”
Joseph’s story is not just one of betrayal and triumph. It’s a portrait of God’s sovereign hand at work, even in the brokenness of a family scarred by favoritism, jealousy, and silence. Stephen’s brief mention in Acts reminds us that though Joseph was sold, rejected, and afflicted—God was with him. And more than that, God rescued him.
But before the palace came the pit—and before the pit came the pain.
INTERNAL WOUNDS BEGIN AT HOME
Joseph’s brothers didn’t hate him because he was evil; they hated him because their father openly favored him. Genesis 37 tells us Jacob loved Joseph “more than any other of his sons,” and this partiality planted the bitter seeds of resentment. His brothers couldn’t speak peacefully to him—not because they didn’t care, but because they were carrying silent wounds.
Here’s a sobering truth:
We think quiet means peace, but often, silence is pain without a voice.
As parents, leaders, or even siblings, we must ask:
Are we unintentionally creating unspoken competition in our homes?
Do we assume that since one child is doing fine externally, they’re whole internally?
What we praise in one, we may unintentionally overlook in another. And what we overlook becomes a wound that festers in silence.
UNHEALED PAIN BECOMES SATAN’S GENERATIONAL CHAIN
The jealousy of Joseph’s brothers didn’t stay inside. Genesis 37:18–28 shows us how their internal wounds led to violent action. They conspired to kill him, stripped him of his robe, and ultimately sold him as a slave. Their betrayal wasn’t just spur-of-the-moment—it was a reflection of years of buried pain.
Trauma doesn’t disappear—it gets transferred.
If we don’t deal with what’s broken in us, we’ll pass it on to the next generation.
That’s why this line rings true:
What we bury emotionally, they bleed relationally.
As adults, many of us are simply children who were wounded, shaped, or neglected. Every adult carries the fingerprint of childhood pain—pain that, if left unchecked, becomes a cycle.
BUT GOD WAS WITH HIM
Here’s the hope: Joseph’s life didn’t end in the pit. Despite being wounded, betrayed, and forgotten, Joseph was not forsaken.
God was with him.
God rescued him.
God used his pain for purpose.
In Genesis 50:20, Joseph tells his brothers:
“You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good.”
This is not permission to ignore wounds. It’s an invitation to bring them to the Healer. God doesn’t waste pain—but He does require surrender.
HEART CHECK
Parents—are we paying more attention to our kids’ behavior than their hearts?
Spouses—are we ignoring internal tension, hoping peace will magically return?
Leaders—are we creating space for healing, or just demanding performance?
Remember:
Unhealed hearts don’t stay quiet. They train behavior. They shape generations.
Let’s stop measuring peace by volume. Instead, let’s ask the Spirit to help us see the wounds beneath the surface—and lead the way to healing.
