Message: As a child, Joseph had dreams about
his future. These weren’t grandiose desires that he concocted out of his mind
on his own. They were short pieces of his future that God showed him through
his dreams. He wasn’t quiet about them so sharing them in his immaturity caused
him added grief because his brothers already hated him. It also seemed to be
the necessary thing that provoked his brothers to jealousy. Their jealousy led
to the plan to get rid of him which caused them to unknowingly launch him right
into the middle of his destiny. Oh the irony! The irony continues because even
though Joseph didn’t have an interpretation for his own dreams, God placed
people around him that also had dreams, and then gave Joseph the
interpretation. Each dream that he interpreted for others brought him closer to
the fulfillment of his own dreams. Everything came full circle when it became
clear that the very dream that caused it all was the answer to saving not only
his family, but all of Egypt.
Command: Don’t despise people with dreams, and
don’t underestimate their worth.
Promise: God has given everyone purpose.
Warning: The purpose inside someone that I dislike
or resent, just might be a pivotal part of my future. The people that have
opposed me just might be the driving force or motivation behind what God is doing
in my own life. Don’t resent either.
Application: Although I would rather put myself in
the place of Joseph for this analogy, it’s hard to overlook the fact that I
just might be one of the brothers! We all have dreams and we all have desires.
I think it’s important to distinguish between the selfish parts of us that
crave recognition and relevance, and the things that God has whispered into our
hearts as tiny, vague details as long as we can remember. As I think about this
I realize that everyone I encounter also has some sort of dream written on
their heart. Although I would love to be part of propelling someone forward
into their dreams, I don’t want it to be done out of a spirit of jealousy. I’m
sure there are plenty of jealous people that would be happy to fulfill that
role. I pray that God would find me useful to help unlock the dreams in other
people like Joseph did. I also know that when we help support the dreams of
other people, it usually launches our own dreams when we aren’t even aware. My
challenge to myself is to become more aware of the people around me and encourage
the dreams within them.
