When Saying Goodbye and Moving Forward Feel Impossible
Imagine you’ve spent years building a business with your family, or you’ve grown close to a group at work. One day, you get the news: a beloved mentor, leader, or friend is leaving. Maybe they pass away. Maybe they retire or move. Suddenly, everything you counted as home shifts. There’s sadness, but also questions: Will things fall apart? What happens to all the plans, hopes, and dreams built together?
Genesis 50 is about exactly this kind of moment, and it shows why endings—even the most painful ones—hold hidden beginnings. This chapter wraps up the extraordinary story of Joseph, who started as a dream-filled boy, was betrayed by his brothers, became a slave and prisoner, but finally rose to lead all Egypt. Now his father Jacob dies, setting off powerful emotions and choices for everyone left behind. The way people in this chapter react shows you how to trust your awareness and shape your future, especially when life turns upside down.
What Genesis 50 Says (WEB)
“Joseph fell on his father’s face, wept on him, and kissed him. ... Joseph commanded his servants, the physicians, to embalm his father; and the physicians embalmed Israel. ... When the days of weeping for him were past, Joseph spoke to Pharaoh’s staff...” (Genesis 50:1-4)
Joseph grieves. There’s no hiding it. He lets his feelings show. Then he acts with care and honor: he arranges for his father’s burial, gathers his brothers and their families, and even asks permission from Egypt’s ruler—the Pharaoh—to travel and bury Jacob with his ancestors.
If you’ve ever lost someone important, you know this blend of deep feeling and necessary action. You cry, but you also arrange funerals, settle affairs, and look after those left behind.
Moving Through Grief: Awareness Rises, Life Expands
On the inside, Joseph’s grief is yours whenever you must face a painful end—whether it’s losing a loved one, closing a chapter in business, or watching a dream collapse. But the story doesn’t end in loss.
- Joseph acts with dignity—he honors what was and takes full responsibility for caring for others left behind.
- Time passes—they “weep for him seventy days.” Real healing isn’t instant. Each wave of feeling brings new awareness. You realize how connected you are, and how much you’ll carry forward.
Have you noticed that after a big loss, simple daily choices matter more? Being gentle with yourself and others allows your awareness (the quiet “God” within) to expand, showing you where you’re called to step up. It’s not about fixing everything, but about showing up with care and clarity when it feels impossible.
Symbolic Meaning: Joseph, the Inner Leader, Faces Return and Forgiveness
In this chapter, Joseph is more than a historical figure. He represents the part of you that’s mature, wise, and able to lead even when you’re hurting. His brothers are the parts of you that once acted out of fear or selfishness—but are ready to come home and heal.
Let’s see how this plays out:
“When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, ‘It may be that Joseph will hate us, and will fully pay us back for all the evil which we did to him.’ … Joseph wept when they spoke to him. … Joseph said to them, ‘Don’t be afraid, for am I in the place of God? You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good.’” (Genesis 50:15-20 WEB)
The brothers worry: “Now that Dad is gone, are we in trouble? What if Joseph gets revenge?” They’re afraid of being punished for past mistakes.
- The brothers—These are your old beliefs, fears, and guilts. When something ends, they often show up: “You’ll fail now! You’re alone! You’re not safe without that old support!”
- Joseph’s forgiveness—This is the higher awareness inside you that already knows: nothing that happened can separate you from goodness or purpose. Joseph—even after all his pain—chooses not to punish, but to comfort. His reply, “You meant it for evil, but God meant it for good,” is a reminder that even the hardest things can turn around when you see life from a larger view.
Ask yourself: When I face loss or endings, do I let old regrets take over, or do I allow myself to see a bigger purpose? Can you imagine handling mistakes—yours and others’—with the same gentle strength Joseph shows?
Mystical Application: Every Ending is the Start of New Awareness
In Genesis 50, we see the way awareness, choice, and return work:
- Joseph grieves, then leads—Awareness widens. He doesn’t get stuck in sorrow. Instead, he moves through it and takes on the role of caretaker, both for his father’s wishes and for his brothers’ feelings.
- The brothers fear, but ask for kindness—This could be when your inner critic or old habits show up, warning you not to trust, not to relax, not to let go.
- Joseph chooses forgiveness—He models returning to the deep “home” inside: nothing can pull you from your true foundations. You forgive, not to let anyone off the hook, but to free yourself to build what’s next.
If you work for yourself, build things, or dare to dream, this is gold. Letting go always makes space for new creation.
Letting Go: When the Old Can Finally Rest
The chapter ends with Joseph’s reassurance and his own passing:
“Joseph lived in Egypt, he, and his father’s house. ... Joseph said to his brothers, ‘I am dying, but God will surely visit you, and bring you up out of this land...’ Joseph made the children of Israel swear, saying, ‘God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones from here.’ So Joseph died, ... and they embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt.” (Genesis 50:22-26 WEB)
Joseph, once a boy who dreamed, now an old man, promises his family: “Don’t worry. Our story isn’t over. One day you’ll return to your true home.” Even when he dies, he asks them to take his bones back—not because he’s demanding, but because he knows the promise: every ending contains the seed of a return.
If you’ve ever had to end a chapter—graduating, quitting, moving, or saying goodbye—this promise lives in you. Pain and progress always lead to something new if you listen for what’s next.
How to Use Genesis 50 in Real Life
Think about actors like Tim Allen, best known for “Home Improvement.” When that show finished, Tim could have gotten stuck in regret or tried to re-live only those days. Instead, he went on to find new adventures—whether as the voice of Buzz Lightyear in “Toy Story,” or returning to family comedy with “Last Man Standing.” His story reminds us: life’s chapters change, but nothing is wasted. Loss and change become launchpads for new creation, no matter how old—or young—you are.
Genesis 50 is a call to:
- Allow yourself to feel and honor endings—don’t rush or numb away grief
- Choose actions that match your values even when you feel lost
- Notice and release the worries or regrets that try to hold you back
- Believe that every ending is a promise, a seed for a future return or breakthrough
Reflect:
- What is ending (or has ended) in your life right now?
- Are you carrying any “old guilt” or “fear of payback” inside you? How would Joseph’s way of forgiving and moving forward feel for you?
- Is there a hidden promise—a return, a fresh start, or a new adventure—waiting in your story?
Simple Grounded Practice: The Letting Go, Letting Grow Exercise
Take a sheet of paper and make two lists:
- On the left side, write what is ending or changing in your life (job, friendship, hope, routine).
- On the right, write one thing that you want to carry forward—quality, memory, or lesson—you want to keep alive.
Now close your eyes for one minute. Feel the loss or change, as honestly as you can. Then, with your hand on your heart, say: “Thank you for all that was. I forgive what needs letting go. I trust that something new is waiting for me.” Breathe. Let both the sadness and the hope settle.
This is how awareness grows, and how you let the next chapter find you.
What’s Next: Genesis 1 to Exodus 1—From Families to Nations
Genesis ends with death and a promise, pointing forward to Exodus where a whole nation faces change and the call to move on. We’ll see people going from surviving as families to thriving as a nation. Next, you’ll see how ordinary people make brave choices when challenges are bigger than ever—and how the deepest awareness can lead you out of the stuckest places and into true freedom.
You don’t have to know all the answers now. Every ending brings your awareness back to who you truly are, and seeds your next great beginning.
