Joseph Is a Fruitful Bough

To Joseph, Jacob says he's a fruitful bough whose branches run over a wall. Then he speaks of archers shooting at him, of his bow remaining steady, of his strength coming from the God of Jacob.

Joseph gets a blessing that acknowledges both his fruitfulness and his struggle. The image of archers shooting suggests ongoing opposition, ongoing attack. But his strength comes from God, not from avoiding the attacks.

I use this when I'm counseling trauma survivors. The narrative isn't that your tree won't be shot at. The narrative is that your roots go so deep, your source is so sure, that arrows don't stop your fruitfulness. That's resilience - not absence of attack, but continuing to flourish despite it.