23 So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe—the ornate robe he was wearing— 24 and they took him and threw him into the cistern. The cistern was empty; there was no water in it.

25 As they sat down to eat their meal, they looked up and saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead. Their camels were loaded with spices, balm and myrrh, and they were on their way to take them down to Egypt.

26 Judah said to his brothers, “What will we gain if we kill our brother and cover up his blood? 27 Come, let’s sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay our hands on him; after all, he is our brother, our own flesh and blood.” His brothers agreed.

28 So when the Midianite merchants came by, his brothers pulled Joseph up out of the cistern and sold him for twenty shekels[b] of silver to the Ishmaelites, who took him to Egypt.

29 When Reuben returned to the cistern and saw that Joseph was not there, he tore his clothes. 30 He went back to his brothers and said, “The boy isn’t there! Where can I turn now?”

31 Then they got Joseph’s robe, slaughtered a goat and dipped the robe in the blood. 32 They took the ornate robe back to their father and said, “We found this. Examine it to see whether it is your son’s robe.”

33 He recognized it and said, “It is my son’s robe! Some ferocious animal has devoured him. Joseph has surely been torn to pieces.”

34 Then Jacob tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and mourned for his son many days. 35 All his sons and daughters came to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. “No,” he said, “I will continue to mourn until I join my son in the grave.” So his father wept for him.

36 Meanwhile, the Midianites sold Joseph in Egypt to Potiphar, one of Pharaoh’s officials, the captain of the guard.

Dear God, well, it is nice to know that someone besides Reuben (Judah in verse 26) was having second thoughts about killing their brother. I find it interesting, however, that their brother was stuck in the cistern and they were comfortable enough to sit down to eat. Was it the act of sitting there and eating while his brother was stuck in a hole that gave Judah the courage to suggest a different route? Did it soften all of their hearts?

There are times when we all need a cooling off period. Not that the brothers did the right thing in the end, but they were able to slow down their actions enough to keep from making the worst decision possible.

Last night, I was pretty angry with a family member for a while, but, thankfully, I had a chance to cool off before I saw them so I was able to approach the things they had done to hurt me more constructively. I never did anything to belittle the person or damage our relationship. I just told them where they had hurt me and explained to them why I felt that way. The good news was that, in the end, we were able to be together and be at peace.

Cooling off periods are really important. There is something about time that simply deadens our emotions and reduces them to a more manageable level. Perhaps it is a chemical/brain thing. I don’t know. But I can see where I should probably use them more often as I deal with conflicts in my life.

Father, help me to be patient. Help me to be at peace. Help me to press on in joy. Help me to embrace all that you have for me today. Work through me and bless others through me.