Awaiting the Dream Come True

camp. For you see, they left camp and returned home. Some may have had their dreams of a different life shattered by the ongoing reality of life in their hometown. Some may have been confronted by family problems or financial hardship that would seem to frustrate the realization of their dreams. Without our prayers, these teens may despair of the dream ever coming true.

For you see, between the dream dreamed and the dream realized, life goes on. Between the time of the dream and the reality of the dream come true, life happens. This is exactly what has happened in the life of Joseph. Between his dream and the realization of his dream, Joseph’s dreams were continually challenged. If we were to read on in Genesis, we would find that after Joseph was sold into slavery he lived his life faithfully and became the head servant in Potiphar’s household. But then, he was falsely accused of assaulting Potiphar’s wife, and was thrown into prison. He lived his life faithfully in the prison, and earned the respect of the prison warden, who put Joseph in charge of the affairs of the prison. During his stay there, Joseph was able to give two other prisoners interpretations of their dreams, on the promise that they would remember him to Pharaoh when they got out, in an effort to have Joseph freed from prison. The days must have been lengthy, as Joseph waited, looking up every time the door opened, in hopes that the cupbearer had spoken well of him to Pharaoh. And yet, the cupbearer had forgotten his promise to Joseph, and Joseph waited for two long years perhaps wondering if he would ever be freed from the prison.

What happens between the dream dreamed and the dream realized? Life. Between the dream and the reality of the dream come true we patiently wait, living our lives, remaining faithful to God and His calling, trusting Him to bring about what He would have us to do. We don’t stop being faithful, and we can’t stop living, but we must be patient. Joseph could have given up on the dream and sunk into a pit of despair and despondency, but he didn’t. He remained righteous and faithful in the foreign land, believing that God was with him.

We have dreamed big dreams. Every one of us has at some point dreamed a dream that was beyond us, perhaps even a Divinely initiated dream. For some, God has given the dream of personal evangelism. For others, He has given the dream of supporting the Kingdom with their finances. God has given dreams to be pastors, missionaries, evangelists, musicians, artists, and more, all for His glory. Some hear those dreams and drop everything to follow God’s calling. Others find ways to ignore the God-sized dream, often pursuing a more manageable people-sized dream instead.

Thirty-five years ago, a group of faithful disciples dreamed a dream about invading the cultural and religious landscape of Cape Elizabeth with a Church of the Nazarene. They dreamed about how the world would be changed because of the faithful preaching of the Word of God. They dreamed about the redemption of a community because God was going to use them to change people’s lives. God gave them a vision and a dream to set out on uncharted territory, beginning a new holiness work in a community that would later prove desperate for the truth of God’s Word.

And yet, some might say that the dream hasn’t been realized,