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?

No one loves to lose! No leader intends to lose. It’s hard to accept loss, but there are some times that it is best to accept a loss and move on. King Amaziah learned this leadership lesson at the young age of 25. Amaziah called the people of Judah together and assigned them according to their families to commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds for all Judah and Benjamin. He then mustered those twenty years old or more and found that there were three hundred thousand men ready for military service, able to handle the spear and shield. He also hired a hundred thousand fighting men from Israel for a hundred talents of silver. But a man of God came to him and said, "O king, these troops from Israel must not march with you, for the LORD is not with Israel– not with any of the people of Ephraim. Even if you go and fight courageously in battle, God will overthrow you before the enemy, for God has the power to help or to overthrow." Amaziah asked the man of God, "But what about the hundred talents I paid for these Israelite troops?" The man of God replied, "The LORD can give you much more than that." So Amaziah dismissed the troops who had come to him from Ephraim and sent them home. They were furious with Judah and left for home in a great rage. Amaziah then marshaled his strength and led his army to the Valley of Salt, where he killed ten thousand men of Seir. (2 Chronicles 25:5-11). In one of his first actions as a leader, Amaziah spent an enormous amount of money to hire men to help him fight. By some estimates, the value of 100 hundred talents was close to 2 million dollars! No leader wants to lose that amount of money. But Amaziah teaches servant leaders that there is a time to accept a loss and change directions.

Accept a loss when the direction is wrong.

Amaziah was moving in the wrong direction. The prophet warned him that he was heading in the wrong direction. Servant leaders acknowledge that no matter what they have invested in a goal if it is the wrong goal, it is time to accept the loss and move in another direction. If you have already moved too far in the wrong direction, don’t keep investing time and energy, it’s time to accept the loss and change. Accept the losses that come with that decision. Stubborn leaders refuse to turn around; servant leaders are willing to accept a loss to move in the right direction.

Accept a loss when the outcomes are wrong.

For Amaziah to continue moving in the direction he was heading would have been disastrous. He would lose the battle he wanted to win and his investment would not produce the results he wanted. Many leaders keep doing things that do not produce results because they are not willing to pay the price of change. They continue to invest in programs, activities or ideas that are not productive. Servant leaders accept a loss when the outcomes do not warrant continued investment.

Accept a loss when the assumptions are wrong.

Amaziah assumed that he could not win the battle with the men he had and it seemed reasonable to hire more. But in this case, his assumption was wrong! Some leaders press forward assuming their assumptions are right. But servant leaders ask hard questions about their assumptions. They ask if they have all the information they need or if they based any part of their decision on an assumption that may be wrong. When servant leaders find their assumptions were wrong they accept the loss and change directions quickly.

Is it time for you to accept a loss and make a change? Or do you need to persevere? Use the questions below to guide your decisions.

For further reflection and discussion:

Read the whole story in 2 Chronicles 25. Reflect on whether Amaziah learned his lesson well or not. What was the continued cost he paid for his decision to hire more troops? What do his actions reveal about his heart? What more can I learn from his leadership?

Think of a current situation you are facing in your life or leadership in which you have or will invest significant time, energy or resources. Is it time to accept the loss and move in a different direction or to persevere? Reflect on the following questions

1. Is my direction the right direction?

• How can I confirm that it not only seems right to me but it is right to God?
• Does my goal bring glory to God or is it for my glory?
• What are my true motives for moving forward?
• Who can I talk with that can help guide me in discerning this issue?

2. What are the outcomes of this direction?

• If the outcomes are still in the future, do the outcomes warrant the amount I will invest in the goal?
• If I have been moving in this direction for some time, what results have I seen?
• Are there other activities or programs in my organization or church that are not producing the needed results? How do I measure the results? Am I willing to pay the price of changing them?
• What would be the cost of changing directions? (Consider not only financial cost but the cost in relationships, time, momentum, etc.)

3. What assumptions have I made about this direction?

• How can I test whether these assumptions are true or false?
• How would I know if these assumptions are incorrect?
• Are there alternative solutions to the problem I seek to solve which I have not considered?
• Who can help me see my own blind spots on this issue?