Did you dream about your future as a child? What did you want to be when you grew up? My older brother wanted to be the garbage man. Although he would tell you he has to deal with a lot of garbage in his job, he is not a garbage man. That dream passed and didn’t take root in his life.
I always wanted to be a teacher. I used to line my stuffed animals up in a semi-circle and teach. I would do it for hours. I remember when I finally got a chalkboard and eraser. It only sealed the deal for me. I went to college and studied education and loved the time I spent in the classroom. Back in 1994 I thought I was leaving teaching behind to be a mom, but learned the Lord would still have me teach just in different settings.
Joseph had a dream in Genesis 37:5-11. He actually had two dreams about the same thing. These dreams were not something Joseph conjured up on his own, they were dreams from God. Joseph shared his dreams with his brothers and father and they weren’t received well. I’m sure it came across as one sibling bragging to another sibling. Sibling rivalry isn’t something new and his brothers got him back in the worst possible way. They sold him into slavery. Fortunately for me, people didn’t wander through North Carolina buying up slaves when I was growing up or my brothers might have considered getting rid of their loud mouth sister.
While Joseph’s brothers changed the path his father had for him, they couldn’t change the plans the Father had for Joseph. Psalm 33:11 says “But the plans of the LORD stand firm forever, the purposes of His heart through all generations.” God worked all the things that happened in Joseph’s life for good and delivered him to his destiny [Romans 8:28]. In Genesis 42:6 Joseph’s dream is fulfilled and his brothers bow down to him. While Joseph might have preferred a different route to his position of power, the stops along the way helped shape him into the leader he became. They were important and necessary.
Has God placed a dream in your heart? Is the thing you wanted to be when you grew up just a whim or is it a dream God planted in your heart? If you’re not sure, ask Him. When God plant’s a dream in your heart, you don’t need to worry, He will bring it to pass in His time.