The Stuff Dreams Are Made OfExemplo

The Gift of a Dream

I love the story of Joseph – there’s drama, betrayal, assumptions, and redemption. Seriously, Hollywood couldn’t script a better drama. As the favored child, Joseph received a special gift from his father. The scripture says it was a tunic, which is what we would regard as a coat or robe. The coat represented a special relationship to Jacob that the other brothers did not have. The scripture says, “But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak peaceably to him.” Favor can be lost with some because of the favor you have with others. Joseph didn’t have favor with his brothers because of the favor his father had shown him.

The sad thing is that when God favors you, not everyone is going to be happy about it. Not everyone is going to rejoice with you about your gift or your dream. It takes a selfless mentality to rejoice with others and the blessing God gives them and not you. It doesn’t matter what people say about you or what their opinion is of you, because they didn’t call you or gift you with the dream – only God did!

The first thing about having a great dream: keep quiet about it, at first. The moment you open your mouth you better be absolutely sure that you are ready to move forward with it regardless of what people say. Having a dream can intimidate some and inspire others. We must use wisdom and discernment sharing our dream with the right people at the right time in order to get the right outcome. Dreams take time and there is usually a long winding road to get there. Don’t brag about seeing something that hasn’t happened yet!

This happened to Mary when she was told that she would be pregnant with Jesus. God’s dream was to find someone he could use in order to birth the Savior of the world. When Mary was chosen there was an overwhelming sense of joy but with it came an ultimate responsibility because she was birthing the One who would save humanity. Did you think Mary had a little something to tell those close to her? Sometimes we will have a dream for years and never tell it to anybody, and that’s ok. It’s wiser to hold on to a dream silently for years than share it with the wrong person.

I believe that He places the dream inside of us to give us something to live for, something to look forward to. The dream can help get us through some of the darkest times of our lives. When we don’t know what to do or how it’s all going to turn out, the dream is the light at the end of the tunnel. Keeping the dream deep in our hearts is vital to living the life God intended for us!