Joseph was a seventeen-year-old young man. He took care of the flocks with the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father’s wives. Joseph told his father about the bad things his brothers were doing. Israel loved Joseph more than all his sons because Joseph had been born in Israel’s old age. So he made Joseph a special robe with long sleeves. Joseph’s brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them. They hated Joseph and couldn’t speak to him on friendly terms. Joseph had a dream and when he told his brothers, they hated him even more. He said to them, "Please listen to the dream I had. We were tying grain into bundles out in the field, and suddenly mine stood up. It remained standing while your bundles gathered around my bundle and bowed down to it." Then his brothers asked him, "Are you going to be our king or rule us?" They hated him even more for his dreams and his words. Then he had another dream, and he told it to his brothers. "Listen," he said, "I had another dream: I saw the sun, the moon, and 11 stars bowing down to me." When he told his father and his brothers, his father criticized him by asking, "What’s this dream you had? Will your mother and I and your brothers come and bow down in front of you?" Gen. 37:2-10
We all have dreams. I am not referring to our dreams in a fantasy world while we slept soundly but to those vivid dreams we had when we were younger, at least once upon a time in our colorful life. Everyone must have had a chance to say, "One day, I’m going to be this and that… go there and beyond….own those and that…." On and on the list went. That was when we were younger. As we grew, our dreams grew, too. Others had their dreams grow much bigger and more challenging. Some had theirs dumped on the shelves, accumulating dust, or worse by far, fell into oblivion. Many had constantly transforming dreams caused by their ever-evolving circumstances. If you are a person who had his or her dreams came true, then you are one of the elite. I admire you with all respect and would like to learn how you reached there. And if you are a person who has thrown the towel with regards to his or her dreams, or probably one who is sweating it out to fulfill his or her dreams, then keep reading. We are in the same boat, my friend, tossed by ghastly winds of bewilderment and gigantic waves of burdens that come in lengthy series like a TV sitcom – seemingly unending, gobbling much of our costly attention every now and then.
Let us carefully and attentively learn from the life of Joseph, "the dreamer", whose name means "increase or addition" in Hebrew. His dreams, and the manner he devoted his life chasing it, engrave boldly several essential principles on how we may reach the place of "a dream came true".
First; do not let anything or anyone PUSH you into a dream that is not your dream. Joseph must have delightfully cherished his days as the "special son" to his father, Jacob. Whenever they had lamb for dinner, Joseph’s portion was the tenderloin or lamb chop. His brothers shared among themselves the ribs, hinds and the spine. If they had turkey or chicken for lunch, Joseph got the legs or breast, and his brothers satisfy themselves with the wings, back and neck. Joseph had a dream. His father’s special treatment of him did not at all blur his focus on his dreams. That was why he always talked his dreams to his father and jealous brothers.
I know a man who was brought into a Bible College by his father in his early teens. This young boy did not even have a clear idea what he would become after graduating from a Bible College. But in the course of his studies, he started to recall the words of his old pastor who walked limping with the support of a cane. That chubby skin-head pastor who used to lay his hands on the boy’s head to pray for him, and after the conclusive "amen" , looked to the boy’s eyes and declared few prophetic words, "you will be a pastor one day".
Each person living in this planet has his or her own life’s purpose. I agree with Pastor Rick Warren’s book, "The Purpose Driven Life", although I may disagree in some of his statements. God has already masterfully designed His divine plan for everyone who receives Christ as Savior and Lord. You may call that God’s prevenient grace. Many people out there are spending their lives chasing somebody else’s dreams. Your families, particularly your parents, can guide you into a dream. It’s not wrong to chase your parents’ dreams as long as you know that it is what God wants you to chase. Even your friends can cheer you into a dream. But only God can carry you into a place of "a dream came true".
Second; do not let anything or anyone PULL you out of your dream and push you to chase another dream. Joseph must have had a tough time balancing the weight of his dreams and the burden of living daily under the antagonistic glance of his jealous brothers. His father could have given Joseph a compelling advice not to be overly vocal about his dreams whenever his green brothers are around. Jacob could have convinced Joseph, in exchange of a promise to give half of his entire estate, only for Joseph to shift his dreams and work alongside his brothers in tending their herd. Who would think that a boy of seventeen would not consider that?
The man I know who was brought to a Bible College by his father graduated with flying colors. He realized his God-endowed potentials. He has always been the apple of his father’s eye. His family and friends told him he has all it takes to be great and successful. Brushing aside his old-boring pastor’s dream, "you will be a pastor one day", and puffed up by the compliments of people around him, he started to trek the bustling thoroughfare of modern civilization in pursuit of that dazzling rainbow’s end.
It is true. Comfort zones can deviate you from your pursuit of a dream. If you think that you are in the right path just because you are comfortable in it, you may be heading the wrong direction, my friend. Your comforts and conveniences do not guarantee that you are in a God-endowed dream. Learn from Lot, Abraham’s nephew, when he chose the green pastures of the plains of Sodom and Gomorrah. He ended up losing everything, including his wife. Circumstances can deceive you in your pursuit of a dream. How often you experience financial lack, health problems, and other circumstances that make you feel as if you are going through a rocky road on a bumpy ride. Don’t count much on your comforts for they can deviate you. Don’t cringe on your circumstances for they can deceive you. Only Christ can direct you to a place of "a dream came true."
Third; do not let anything or anyone POUND you down in your pursuit of a dream. Joseph went through the most crushing moments of life. From a special son to a slave in Egypt, yet he began to prosper. From a fully-trusted servant to a wrongfully-judged convict, yet he remained faithful to his God and became a pal to everyone in jail. From a helpful friend to a forgotten buddy, yet he had no regrets and became popular.
We Filipinos admire our "Pambansang Kamao", Manny "PacMan" Pacquiao. He is at his prime – the pound-for-pound king; the best boxer in the world; at least in this time. Before he reached the peak of his dream, he went through the most crushing moments of a boxer’s life, too. In the 90’s he was knocked out by an un-popular fellow Filipino boxer. Few years later, he was knocked out again by an unrated Thai boxer. Not a commendable feat at all. But I only hope that what were portrayed in the film, "Pacquiao the Movie" (starring Jericho Rosales and Bea Alonzo– ooops, "pinoys" are fond of showbiz) are true. I don’t want to gossip the infidelity part. The movie depicts that the book, "The Purpose Driven Life" of Pastor Rick Warren, contributed significantly to the life of Manny, helping him rise up on his feet once again, beating and knocking out some of the most feared and respected names in kingdom of boxing to earn the crown, "pound-for-pound" king.
Let us leave that violent sport for a while. The man who graduated from a Bible College with flying colors and eventually geared up chasing a rainbow’s end also went through crushing moments of his life. He lost his brother, his only sibling; lived a life similar to that of the prodigal son in Luke 15; went through financial turmoil and started having various problems more than he can muster. Then he remembered his old-boring pastor’s dream, "you will be a pastor one day".
You must learn to cope with your oppositions in your pursuit of dreams. Sometimes they are really frightening and fierce; devious and devastating. Often times they are by-products of your own carelessness and negligence. Learn to conquer your frustrations in your pursuit of dreams. I haven’t known one success in history that did not cost multiple frustrations. Read the life of the great inventors, Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, the Wright brothers (Orville and Wilbur), Albert Einstein, and many more. But best of all, learn from the words of the apostle Paul who went through life-threatening moments. "I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances" Phil. 4:11. Live by these principles, "When the going gets tough, the tough gets going", and "Ang umaayaw ay hindi nagwawagi, at ang nagwawagi ay hindi umaayaw". You can learn how to cope with your oppositions; you can learn how to conquer your frustrations but only the Holy Spirit, in His awesome anointing, can empower your focus to reach the place of "a dream came true".
Is your dream still intact? Trust God that He will lead you to the fulfillment of your dream. Trade everything that God has given you to achieve your dream. That glorious place could be just around the bend, that place of "a dream came true".
