7 God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors. 8 So it was not you who sent me here, but God; he has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house and ruler over all the land of Egypt. Genesis 45:7-8, NRSV
The story of Joseph reveals the process that he endures to actualize his dreams. His father, who favors him above his older brothers, gives him a robe that symbolizes power and authority. And later that gesture is enforced by Joseph’s prophetic dreams that signify his impending leadership position.
However, as the story unfolds, Joseph experiences some major challenges and setbacks. In fact, it seems like his life is heading in a completely different direction! And many of us may relate to that.
In our own lives, it may seem like things are not going as planned, that our dreams will never come to fruition. It may be that we have many obstacles before us and we are unsure if we have the stamina, resources, or skills to move beyond them. But the story of Joseph offers us hope.
We have hope that God is using our struggles, our confusion, and the heart breaking moments that we may experience to shape and mold our hearts to be the people God has called us to be in the positions that God has for us. Joseph teaches us that something good emerges from the bad. And it may be that the struggle is part of the plan as we go through the process of becoming the people that God is making us to be.
I speak more on the struggles of the process of actualizing our dreams in the video below.
May God be with you, bless you, and give you strength.
Rev. Karen Jenkins
soulcareweb 