Dreams, Character + a Coat of Many Colors….
Reading an old story with a fresh perspective can sometimes be the biggest encouragement for a big ole heart.
One of my most favorites stories in scripture is nestled in the very first book of the Bible. Now, mind you, I heard the story a LOT growing up, but it only recently became a favorite. Why? Because sometimes we hear certain things and pridefully tune out new details because we think we’ve heard it all before.
And when I say “we”, I of course, mean me.
I thought I knew most everything about the story of Joseph and his “coat of many colors”.
We find Joseph’s story tucked away in the very last chapters of Genesis. Introduced in chapter 37, Joseph is a young man full of life, his father’s favor, and dreams- lots of dreams. Joseph knows that his dreams are from God. Though he doesn’t fully understand them, (and though his brothers resent him for them), Joseph spends chapters 37-50 striving to bring honor to God through his actions in spite of his situations, and EVEN WHEN it LOOKS like his dreams are the farthest things from reality.
There is something to be said for patient endurance, and I firmly believe that is what differentiates the people that change the world, and those that let the world change them. (If you read last month’s Letter, you know how I feel about THAT 😉
It wasn’t until I read a verse in Psalms that things really started clicking for me. Joseph had dreams, but there are 6 chapters and over 15 years between when the Lord GIVES Joseph his dreams, and with the Lord fulfills them…. And I’ve ALWAYS wondered why.
You might be like me and find yourself in a similar situation. You’ve got dreams- BIG DREAMS, but there just seems to be so much going on, and too much time has passed since those dreams first came to you. Slowly, they’ve seemed to melt down into tiny, flickering candles of hope inside your heart. They’re still there, but they don’t burn as brilliantly as they once did.
Oh, hey. That’s where I am.
The Lord has blessed my heart with so many hopes and dreams for my photography business, preaching (speaking +teaching) the Gospel & traveling the world for His name. But, right here, right now, in this season, routine is a familiar friend, and I feel empty. I’m working so hard, but going nowhere fast.
The Lord has used Joseph’s story to remind me of how He works.
Seasons like these prepare us for the dreams God has planted inside of us.
He tests our character by tilling the soils of our hearts and allowing the “crap” of life to fertilize the ground. He clears space and cuts things away. Things look brown, barren and not so pretty. Then, once the soil is prepped, and the conditions are ready, the Lord takes those dreams, and allows them to grow.
We may not see much of anything at first, but then, before we know it, we are in a season surrounded by growth and the fresh blooms of dreams coming true. Suddenly, they’re more amazing than we imagined and we are left totally in awe of how everything came together in God’s most perfect timing.
That is my most favorite part about Joseph’s whole story. His dreams came true in a way that he never asked for or imagined. The best part is that UNTIL the Lord fulfilled Joseph’s dreams, he tested his CHARACTER, proving that the Lord doesn’t focus so much on what we DO in this life– but instead, on WHO we become along the way. He knew that in order for Joseph’s dreams to succeed, Joseph had to become a man that could sustain them.
It’s coming boo, your time is coming.
You’ve gotta read Genesis 37-50 to truly be encouraged. I’m praying you catch fresh details you never spotted before.
Xo
AnnaFilly
“ But Joseph replied, ‘Don’t be afraid of me. Am I God, that I can punish you? You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so that I could save the lives of any people. No, don’t be afraid. I will continue to take care of you and your children.’ So he reassured them by speaking kindly to them. “
Genesis 50:19
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