Joy in the Journey!
by Nellie Martin
I believe that every dream has a journey. The journey for some is hard and even treacherous. The journey is an adventure. I don’t know about you, but I love a good adventure! I love the challenges that accompany it. There is something in me that enjoys a good dare. The world tells me I cannot see my dreams come true, but something inside me yells back, “Really? Watch me prove you wrong!” Sometimes the adventure is not so much fun and the journey is not so amazing. We see this beautiful dream that we want to come to pass, but we do not want to struggle or go through the process to see the dream come true. Some of us, like my friend Kristin, may want to become a famous horse Reiner, but we do not want to endure the pain of practicing endless hours with sore thighs. Maybe you want to find a cure for cancer but you are failing at Science, and you do not want to spend your time studying instead of talking on the phone. There is a price to pay if we are to see our dreams come true. How bad do we want them? How much passion really lies inside of us for our dreams?
Joseph was a dreamer. He literally had some amazing dreams that God had given him. He was very passionate about his dreams and believed that God was going to bring them to pass. In the midst of his dreaming, he was thrown into a pit by his brothers. Then to make things even better, they sold him into slavery! He probably was very confused and hurt. Why would God give him dreams and visions but then allow him to be thrown into slavery? Joseph continued to trust God. He found favor in the sight of Potiphar who was Pharaoh’s main officer. Joseph was promoted as overseer, and life became better for him. One day Potiphar’s wife noticed how attractive Joseph was. She eventually told him to sleep with her and he refused. He told her, “Look, with me here, my master doesn’t give second thought to anything that goes on here – he’s put me in charge of everything he owns. He treats me as an equal. The only thing he hasn’t turned over to me is you. You’re his wife, after all! How could I violate his trust and sin against God? (Genesis 39:8-9, MSG)” Joseph knew that by refusing her he could lose his position and become a slave again. He was falsely accused by her and then thrown into another pit – an Egyptian prison. He was there for quite a while according to scripture. His faith was truly tested. God had placed Joseph in that jail for a reason - he was preparing him to lead Egypt.
Nellie is a beautiful sister in Christ who always has words of encouragment on her tounge. Check out her blog! www.hisladiesinwaiting.wordpress.com