Dream a Little Dream...

Yesterday morning I went through my typical Tuesday morning routine. Got Jeff and the kids off to school, dropped Declan off at his school, enjoyed a great workout at Cardio Groove, took Rileigh over to see Papaw a minute, and started home to realize I needed to make a stop by Wal-mart. I parked, gathered my things and went around to grab Rileigh as I made a mental note of the quickest way to get in and out. Suddenly I had a thought pop in my head.

There I was, still in my work out clothes, with my little minivan, shopping in the middle of the day. I looked like the typical middle class stay home soccer mom going about my day. Now for some that would be a wonderful feeling. Not for me. When other girls were growing up dreaming of whatever they dreamed of, I was dreaming of a life spent doing missions work over seas. I thought I'd have my children with a midwife in an African hut, not one of the greatest women's hospitals in the state. (That part I am glad to be wrong about.)

This thought hit me on a day when I was taking a huge step in seeing one of my biggest dreams begin to take shape. I don't know if I should consider it a God thought, or a discouragement from the enemy. Either way, it got me thinking and praying. God brought to mind the story of Joseph. I thought I'd share with the rest of you, who may be waiting for your big God dream to come true, what I have learned from reading Joseph's story. Obviously for sake of space and my fingers, you'll have to read the story for yourself. Pull up another tab and find it on biblegateway.com. It begins in the 37th chapter of Genesis, skips over to chapter 39 and continues all the way through 46.

What I got from the story is:

1. The ones you think will be most supportive may not always react the way you'd expect.

Joseph was seventeen, young and zealous. He had the great confidence that comes from being raised by a very supportive father and was not shy about telling his family what God had been showing him.

This happens many times in the church as well as families. I don't think it is because the ones reacting poorly are bad people. Instead I think that it is often hard to see what God sees. I remember, while in bible school, God giving me a 'word' for a friend of mine. I told her exactly what God was telling me and nothing more. It confirmed something that God had already been talking to her about and she was very excited. Until she talked to one of the school counselors. She was crushed, and I was told that I didn't have a right to speak those things, and God wouldn't tell somebody something that big. I wanted to ask them if we'd read the same Bible, but my parents raised me not to talk back. I had to bite my tongue very hard that day.

Our Pastor has a different take on how to know if God is the one giving you the dream. He says, "if its bigger than you are and it won't go away, then its probably God." I have used that in my own life. I have a huge imagination and could be quite the schemer without a good husband to keep me in check. I've learned a little trick about myself. When I come up with some great idea, I put it all on paper and get it all out of my head and then file it away. If I lose interest in it, then I know it was my own idea and not Gods.

It doesn't really say how Joseph reacted when his own father rebuked him for his dream, but it does say that Jacob "kept the matter in mind."

2. Sometimes God doesn't use the easiest or most obvious path to fulfill your dream.

I used to think that Joseph should have kept his mouth shut and pondered his dream in his heart. You know, just between him and God. I don't know if I think that anymore. Here is what I do think. His brothers already held jealousy and hatred in their hearts for Joseph. God knew that and allowed the devil to use it in an attempt to destroy Joseph. I think that his brothers would have decided to sell him off dream or no dream. It was the way God chose to get him to Egypt. God can do anything and use anything he wants to use in order to accomplish His will. He is also infinitely wise and knows what areas we need to grow in before we see our dream happen. I imagine Joseph did a whole lot of growing while being a slave and prisoner!

3. Overcoming temptation doesn't always get you a gold medal!

There seems to be a lot of people believing that if they serve God life is supposed to be all roses and sunshine. Well, roses have thorns and can't grow without a little rain, which Jesus told us would fall on the just and the unjust.

Joseph did the right thing when his master's wife set her eyes on him, and then he went to jail. I wonder if Potiphar knew his wife was lying. As well as he knew Joseph, you just have to wonder. If he didn't, can you imagine the hurt he must have felt at being betrayed by the person he'd trusted more than anyone. Once again it doesn't tell us what Joseph was thinking or feeling. What it does tell us is that the Lord was with him, and that is far better than any rose or ray of sunshine!

4. Your treatment of others may be your ticket to success.

Hopefully you've read the story by now and you know that Joseph helped out two other prisoners by telling them the meaning of their dreams. Well, maybe it would be more correct in saying he help one of them out. The baker didn't exactly fare too well. However, the cup bearer did, and when the time came, God reminded him of Joseph. It is comical in my imagination to see this shaggy looking prisoner being escorted into Pharaoh's great throne room and all of the advisers who'd come up empty looking disgusted at the thought of this convict doing their job. (I told you I had a big imagination) I don't know if that is how it happened, but I do know that Joseph told Pharaoh what was going to happen and how to deal with it. That quickly he became the second in command, and it started all because he helped out a wayward cup bearer who'd been put in prison.

5.  You dream doesn't always look quite like you think it will.

Joseph's dream is never mentioned again after he tells his father and brothers, until verse 8 of chapter 42. Joseph was away from his family for 13 years before he was made governor of Egypt. Then he spent another seven years working diligently to prepare the country for the famine that had been going on for two years when his brothers showed up. You can imagine that he was a little too busy to worry about getting his brothers to bow down to him. He may have even dismissed the dreams as a childhood fantasy. However, he suddenly found himself living that dream, and it was much more painful than he expected. After putting his brothers through a couple of test to see if they had changed, he was finally willing to reveal himself to them. He didn't gloat over being right, but he told his brothers the most important lesson to learn from his story. In Genesis 45 Joseph tells his brothers that God sent him to Egypt, not them, and that He did it to save their lives.

Joseph's God dream wasn't that his brothers were going to bow down to him. It was, in reality, a dream of God using Joseph to preserve the lives of His chosen people.

What is your dream?