Issue #215, September 6, 2017
As a 17-year-old, it was exciting for Joseph to have a dream. He was going to be someone great and do great things! But one day as he went to visit his brothers his dream came crashing down. But they saw him in the distance, and before he reached them, they plotted to kill him. "Here comes that dreamer!" they said to each other. "Come now, let's kill him and throw him into one of these cisterns and say that a ferocious animal devoured him. Then we'll see what comes of his dreams" (Genesis 37:18-20). On this day everything changed dramatically in Joseph’s life. He was thrown into a pit and then sold into slavery, walking through the desert with chains on his feet and an iron ring around his neck (see Psalms 105:18). He finally reached Egypt where he was sold as a slave. At this point his dream was dead. Joseph dreamed of being on top, but he ended up in a pit. He dreamed of being in charge but he ended up in slavery. He dreamed of others bowing down to him but instead, he bowed down to an Egyptian master. It seemed that within a very short time everything that could go wrong happened to Joseph. Like many leaders, Joseph needed to learn that often dreams must first die before they can be fulfilled. Servant leaders recognize that the death of a dream is often the way God uses to reveal things about the dream which would otherwise be hidden.
The death of a dream reveals the cost.
Dreams are costly and often come with a high cost. Joseph likely thought as a young man that his dream would come true with little sacrifice or cost. He had no idea how many years it would take, nor the crushing and breaking that God needed to first do in his life along the way. God allowed the dream to die so that Joseph would recognize the cost. Many leaders give up when they recognize what the dream will cost. The cost may be financial, but it may also be time, comfort or reputation. The cost may be the pain of being broken or releasing control. Servant leaders allow the death of a dream to help them understand what it will cost. They take time to ask themselves hard questions as they consider if they are willing to pay the price of seeing the dream become a reality.
The death of a dream reveals the motives.
The motive of a dream is often not clear at the beginning. The motive is why a leader has the dream. Is it to gain power or prestige? Is it to advance oneself? Is it to help and serve others? Maybe Joseph originally saw his dream as a good way to gain power or be in a high position. God allowed the death of his dream so that he would have time to examine his motives. Servant leaders allow the death of a dream to make them stop and ask, “Why do I want this dream? Is it about me or is it about others? What is really in my heart?” Then they ask God to purify their motives.
The death of a dream reveals the source.
Joseph may have thought he would be able to accomplish the dream with his own strength. All we know about him as a young man is that he brought his father a bad report about his brothers. Perhaps he felt that this would bring him favor and a way to rule over them. The death of the dream revealed to Joseph that this dream was not about him and he would not do it with his own strength. God allowed the dream to die so that Joseph would recognize that He was the source and not Joseph. It would take God to bring the dream back to life. Servant leaders allow the death of a dream to help them recognize that they cannot fulfill it in their own strength.
We would all love for dreams to go from birth straight to fulfillment! But the death of the dream is God’s way of revealing the cost, the motives and the source of the dream. Servant leaders accept that dreams must often die before they can be fulfilled.
For further reflection and discussion:
- Have I experienced the death of a dream? What did I learn from the experience? What might I do differently after learning from Joseph’s life?
- Do I have a current dream that has not gone through the stage of death? What do I need to consider about what it may cost? What are my true motives for the dream? Do I believe I can accomplish it on my own or am I convinced that it will take God to bring it to pass?
- Think of other biblical leaders whose vision had to die before it came to pass. Consider at least Abraham, Moses, David and even Jesus. In what way did their dream die? In what way did the death of the dream make it stronger in the end? What does this teach us about dreams?