Dreams, Dreams, and More Dreams
Genesis 37:5-6 says, “Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him all the more. He said to them, Listen to this dream I had.” The story doesn’t stop with a dream. In fact, for Joseph, he had another dream. When he shared it with his brothers, they hated him even more and when he shared it with his father, he rebuked him.
With confidence, I will say that at some time or another you’ve had a dream. The dream was impactful to you. Maybe that dream gave direction in your life or it helped you pursue an idea. I have found that dreams come and they go. However, they are the kind of dreams that you have had when you’re asleep. The dreams that Joseph had were not dreams from a pizza he had the night before. The dreams he had were the kind that gave purpose to his life.
The dream I am emphasizing is the one that God has placed in you to fulfill your destiny and purpose. Ephesians 2:10 in The Passion Translation says, ” We have become his poetry, a re-created people that will fulfill the destiny he has given each of us, for we are joined to Jesus, the Anointed One. Even before we were born, God planned in advance our destiny and the good works we would do to fulfill it.”
I can vividly recall the first time God placed His dream for my life in me. I didn’t even know at the time that God existed. Yet, I knew it was what I was supposed to do. The dream was to become an author. I wanted to write a book. I was only 9 years old. Just like Joseph, I shared that dream with someone who took what I said and twisted it into something that caused me to avoid that dream for over 29 years later.
The dream that keeps you moving forward must be treated with great caution and care. There is nothing more exciting than knowing what you were made to do. Protect that excitement by developing a strong foundation in your relationship with God. After all, He is the one who gave you dream, to begin with. My favorite verses in the entire Bible are found in 1 John 5:14-15. What stands out to me is that God hears me when I pray His will.
Joseph’s story gives us valuable insight into dreams that are to be pursued. When dreams are from God, they come to pass. We must be careful with who we share those dreams with at first, even with those who are closest to us. I’ve had family members who didn’t agree with me becoming an author. I’ve had friends who said it just couldn’t be done. I’ve had instructors tell me it was impossible. Each of their comments impacted my life and though I didn’t know better at the time, it caused me to delay becoming an author.
Joseph didn’t stop dreaming about his dream from the bottom of the well. Those dreams ended up giving him hope in every hopeless situation he faced from that moment forward. Habakkuk 2:3 says, “For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end, it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.”
The reason why I said to protect and care for the dream that keeps you moving forward is for one solid purpose: God gave it to you! When God gives you something He doesn’t take it back. Believe that dream He gave you, for it will sustain you from the bottom of the well to the top spot in your life. Your the one God knew would keep it alive! Go fulfill the dream and purpose for which you were made.