Don't Give Up on your Dream!

[Bill]

***An excerpt from "Pressing On", the weekly "ezine" of NoTurningBack.net***

This Week's Verse

Genesis 39:2 -- The LORD was with Joseph, and he was a successful man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian.

Bill's Weekly Thought:

The Lord was with Joseph. Joseph had his share of problems though, didn't he? Where his problem got started was in Genesis 37. Joseph was an arrogant teenager...at age 17 though, he dreamed two dreams. In both cases he immediately told his dreams to his brothers, and his family. Unfortunately they hated him for those dreams. But, there's a lesson to be seen in Joseph here. Joseph never gave up on his dream. We've all been given a dream. Our dreams are what God wants us to become. Your dreams are the opportunities that are out there in front of you. Dreams are concieved, long before they are ever achieved. God gives us a dream, and we want it to happen overnight...but that's not how it always goes. There is a place called process, though, where we all are in our lives, and where we see Joseph go through in the scriptures. It's this place called process that dreams come true.

Four quick points about not giving up on your dreams:

Don't Give Up on Your Dream Even When You Don't Start Off Well:

Joseph didn't get off to the right foot. He was an arrogant teenager, at age 17. He immediately told his dreams to his brothers, and that was not in the right spirit. It was in an arrogant, self-promoting spirit that Joseph shared his dreams with his family. It was the self-promotion that got Joseph in trouble. You may think that you blew it in the beginning of your walk. You may think that you've made a mistake that can never be corrected along the way toward your dream. But God can use that mistake, and work it all the way around for good (Genesis 50:20). God has a purpose and a plan...and He can use those mistakes to your good. Self-promotion can never replace divine promotion.

Don't Give Up On Your Dream Even When Your Family Is Opposed To It:

Sometimes, the strongest opposition we can get from our family. Look at Joseph: His dream was opposed by his family. His brothers hated him for his dreams. Why is it that our family can create so many problems or our strongest opposition? It's the ones closest to us that hurt us quicker or deeper than anyone else. But they don't get your mail! If God's given you a promise, you hold onto it, and don't listen to the negative input from those around you.

Don't Give Up On Your Dream Even When Your Journey Is Full of Surprises:

Joseph's journey was full of surprises, wasn't it? He was thrown in a pit...then he was sold to a band of Ishmaelites. Then, he became a servant in Potifer's house, and right there in Potifer's house he was lied and slandered against, eventually falsely accused of rape when he wasn't guilty. Then it was off to prison...another shock! While in prison, he was promoted back to leadership and he told the butler to remember him when he got out. But the butler did not remember Joseph...another surprise! In all of this, the LORD was with Joseph though. Even when our journey is full of surprises...lost job, unexpected illnesses, all of the things that can trip us up along the way...we can't give up on our dreams. God is always with you...and He develops our character through opposition. An airplane does not take off with the wind, but instead against it. It's that current against the wings that creates the lift to help get the plane in the air. It's not always pleasant to deal with the surprises of life, but we can't give up on our dreams in those times.

Don't Give Up On Your Dream Even If It Takes A Long Time:

It took Joseph 13 years for the dream to come true. The dream that God's given to you may not have happened overnight. It may be a long time going on now. You might be in a process period right now, where it seems like that promise is so far away. But the Lord is with you, just like He was with Joseph (39:2 and again in 39:21). So even if the dream is far away, trust God for encouragment and strength to continue to pursue the dream through the long haul. And trust God to lead the steps to your dream coming to pass.

Joseph is an interesting example of one who didn't give up on his dream. And we can't give up on ours either. God has called each one of us to something very special and important in His kingdom. We need to press on and not give up on our dreams!

[traveller]

Very good Bill, very insightful! Well done. It's true that if we are not doing what God has called us to do, we are unhappy. To quote Max Lucado, "If the fishermen aren't fishing, they're fighting."

Nice post Bill!!