What you meant for evil...Genesis 45:8
Variations on this scripture notwithstanding, I am moved by comparisons between Melinda Doolittle's journey via American Idol and the story of Joseph in the Old Testament.
He: the favorite son of his father (who was sold into slavery by jealous older brothers, survived in a strange land, later emerging as a respected and powerful member of the king's court) was an interpreter of dreams and a man of integrity.
She: the only child of her mother (and thus the favorite) whose passion for singing was not matched by her ability until heaven answered her prayers. Melinda was content with the background (by her own admission) until her rightful place was revealed through the messiest of all coming out parties - American Idol (a kind of slavery if you note the contracts contestants must sign). Melinda also found national recognition away from familiar surroundings; and she, by all accounts, is also a person of integrity.
Melinda is not an interpreter of dreams like Joseph, instead she is the manifestation of a dream.
Joseph was hated by his brothers for their own selfish reasons. Little did they know that he was a man God had pre-destined to do great things and affect many lives.
Likewise, Melinda's journey has touched many lives (and reminded mainstream America that good things still come in small packages!) while suffering the unwarranted 'hating' (because of her genuine displays of humility) from persons who confused being mean with being clever; and who desperately needed their own 15 minutes of fame regardless of the cost.
But what they meant for evil, God meant for good.
People of faith are often the targets of ridicule from the cynics, the hopeless, the disappointed, the jealous, the ones who prefer throwing rocks at other people rather than using those rocks to build something that is useful.
In the end, every one of those rocks was collected, ground up and used to pave (in Melinda's words) "the 6 feet between the background mic and the front mic."
What they meant for evil, God meant for good.
