Being the eleventh-born of twelve brothers must have been hard. In those days, order of birth meant everything. The first-born would gain the father's blessing, and thus become the leader upon the father's death. But Joseph received Jacob's blessing over his brothers. That alone is enough to distinguish Joseph as special. Not to mention all the other things that happened in his life.
Joseph wasn't afraid to stand for what was right, even when that meant facing the wrath of his mean-spirited brothers. He proved himself loyal to his father, and Jacob honored him for it. He also proved himself loyal to God throughout his life, and God blessed him, and the nation of Israel.
Joseph spent his life obeying and following God. That usually meant facing opposition and hardship. I can't help but wonder how many times in that dried up well, or as a slave in Potiphar's house, or in that Egyptian prison Joseph asked God when his obedience and devotion would bring blessing.
Eventually that blessing came. Not just for Joseph, but for his father's household and for all of Israel. Joseph's willingness to go against the grain and stay true to God gained him his father's blessing, Pharaoh's respect, and God's rewards.
I won't say that there is a point to all of this, but I do feel like it's relevant. There are some very important decisions forthcoming for all of us. There are many changes happening right now in the life of our church, some are good and some are not. Some are unnoticed. I think it's worth mentioning that we should all make our decisions based on what God says to us, not just what the popular opinion is. Maybe that means going against what everyone else thinks, maybe it doesn't. But as long as going against the grain is staying true to God's Word, then blessing will follow.
