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?

Even after God answers the first three questions, Moses is not willing to go. Moses said to the LORD, “O Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue.” The LORD said to him, “Who gave man his mouth? Who makes him deaf or mute? Who gives him sight or makes him blind? Is it not I, the LORD? Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say” (Exodus 4:10-12).

This time Moses didn’t frame his reservation as a question. But the question he had was, “Will I be able? ” Moses was not sure that he would be able to have the impact he desired with the limitations he felt. Moses had already asked God, “Who am I?” and it seems that he was not fully persuaded that God’s answer was satisfactory. He still wonders, “Do I have the gifts I need? Can I speak well enough? Can I do it? Do I have what it takes to make an impact?” God’s answer gives all servant leaders direction when they question their ability. God points Moses back to who He is, not who Moses is. His answer allows servant leaders to find their confidence in God’s ability to make an impact.

Ability makes an impact when we appreciate God’s design.

Who gave man his mouth? Who makes him deaf or mute? Who gives him sight or makes him blind? Is it not I, the LORD? God was saying to Moses that it was He who created Moses and called him to do the task. Some leaders may claim to have the ability to do things on their own. Moses erred in the opposite direction. His claim to be unable was actually an insult to God’s design. Servant leaders acknowledge that their ability comes from God’s design. They work to develop gifts and skills, but they understand that God is the source. Servant leaders don’t claim to be ‘self-made.’ They acknowledge with appreciation the way God designed them to accomplish His call.

Ability makes an impact when we acknowledge God’s blessing.

God wanted Moses to understand that he was blessed with ability. He essentially tells Moses, “I blessed you with the ability to speak!” Acts 7:22 says that Moses was “powerful in speech.” Moses didn’t recognize this ability and felt inferior. God wanted Moses to acknowledge that He blessed him with a gift to speak. Many leaders recognize their gifts but don’t give God credit for them. Servant leaders are not proud of their abilities, but they are able to humbly acknowledge them as gifts. They accept their ability as God’s blessing, given to make an impact for God’s glory.

Ability makes an impact when we accept God’s help.

Moses still didn’t feel adequate for the task. So God says, “I will help you speak.” God offers to be a personal leadership coach for Moses! What an encouragement this must have been. Some leaders see their gifts and try to build confidence by repeating to themselves, “I can do this.” Servant leaders accept God’s assistance. Their ability does not come from self but from Him. They accept God’s assurance that “I will do this through you.” When they accept God’s help they make an impact in their world.

Servant leaders, like all leaders, may question their ability to make an impact. But they learn from Moses to rely on God’s ability instead of their own. They humbly acknowledge that God has given them gifts to accomplish the task. And they allow God to help them with what He has gifted them to do. Their focus on God’s ability allows them to make an impact.

For further reflection and discussion:

• In what areas of leadership do I feel inadequate? Are my feelings of inadequacy an insult to God’s design and call on my life? What is His design that makes me able to do what He has called me to do?
• With what gifts and abilities has God blessed me? Am I able to thank Him for these without being proud of self? How does God want me to use these gifts for His glory?
• What difference does it make for me to know that God will help me lead? In what specific areas right now do I need His help?

We often think the best leaders are strong and powerful, walking with bold confidence in their abilities and working hard for success. Jacob walked like this for many years and in the previous issue, we saw how he limped towards leadership. But as Jacob fled from his father-in-law to return home, he had a life-changing experience the night before he met his brother Esau. So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak. When the man saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacob's hip so that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled with the man. Then the man said, "Let me go, for it is daybreak." But Jacob replied, "I will not let you go unless you bless me." The man asked him, "What is your name?" "Jacob," he answered. Then the man said, "Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with men and have overcome." Jacob said, "Please tell me your name." But he replied, "Why do you ask my name?" Then he blessed him there. So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, "It is because I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared." The sun rose above him as he passed Peniel, and he was limping because of his hip (Genesis 32:24-31). From this point forward, Jacob was a different man. He walked, and led, with a limp.

Jacob led with a limp by acknowledging God’s power.

Jacob had lived his life in his own strength but now he must acknowledge God’s power. Jacob was accustomed to finding a way to get what he wanted. Now for the first time in his life, he could not control the outcome. He seemed to win the physical battle, but the man touched Jacob’s hip and produced a limp. The man had the power of blessing him and giving him a new name. He had to acknowledge God’s power and learn to lead with a limp. Servant leaders learn to lead with a limp by relying on God’s power instead of their own. They acknowledge that they are not as powerful as their position implies. They do not focus on their titles and degrees; instead, they acknowledge that God is the source of their power.

Jacob led with a limp by admitting his limitations.

Jacob struggled and overcame, but at the same time, he had to face his own limitations. He was not able to bless himself. He could not protect himself from the expected meeting with his brother. He could no longer pretend to be someone else; he had to give his real name. He could not stop the wrenching of his hip. He could no longer walk with a confident stride. He came to the end of himself. His life would forever be marked with a limp, a sign of his own weakness. Servant leaders lead with a limp when they admit their own weaknesses and inadequacies. They are not afraid to admit mistakes. They admit that without God’s strength they would fail.

Jacob led with a limp by accepting God’s blessings.

Jacob had been seeking a blessing for years. He deceitfully asked for and received his father’s blessings. He had worked night and day for material blessings. Now he still cries out to be blessed but this time by God. As he received God’s blessing, he moved forward and found reconciliation with his brother and was able to again embrace his father. He was able to enjoy genuine blessings as he walked with a limp. Servant leaders lead with a limp by joyfully accepting any blessing that comes from God. They enjoy genuine relationships with family and friends. If God adds material blessings, they are also grateful.

Jacob’s limp was physical but is a symbol of how God wants us to lead as servant leaders. When we truly meet God our leadership will change. Most of us will not change overnight as Jacob did, but we all need to learn to lead with a limp.

For further reflection and discussion:

• In what ways do I acknowledge God’s power in my leadership? Can I give an example from the past week in which I clearly relied on God’s power instead of my own?
• When is the last time I admitted my own limitations to myself or others?
• Am I still striving to get blessings by my own strength or have I learned to accept God’s blessings? What blessings do I experience in my leadership as I lead with a limp?
• A friend said to me, “Never follow a leader without a limp.” Do I agree or disagree with this statement? What happens to followers when the leader has not had an experience of breaking as Jacob did? What kind of experience do those under my leadership have?