“Then they said to one another, “Look, this dreamer is coming!” Genesis 37:19
These are the words Joseph’s brothers said as they saw him coming toward them in a field. Words said in a snide way, dripping with contempt and envy.
Joseph made a mistake sharing his seemingly impossible i.e. God sized dreams with his brothers. Not everyone will celebrate our big dreams and there is a lesson to be learned in that.
But I love the statement, even if it came from bitter hearts.
Look! This dreamer is coming!
I want to be known as a dreamer. I want to always dream and dream big.
I just finished one of the most incredible books by Mark Batterson–The
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Circle Maker. I’ve been begging friends and family to purchase and read it.
Batterson says, “There is nothing God loves more than keeping promises, answering prayers, performing miracles, and fulfilling dreams. That is who He is. That is what He does. And the bigger the circle we draw, the better, because God gets more glory.”
This morning I was praying scripture over my circles, my big dreams and a song popped into my head. Cinderella sang it.
“A dream is a wish your heart makes, when you’re fast asleep…” In the context of God planting dreams within us, they aren’t wishes, but promises. If we don’t believe–it truly is a wish our heart makes. A wish lacks faith.
But dreams do come from our heart. (Not all are God-given and it’s important for us to daily spend time with Him so we can let Him establish which ones are and are not.)
I do get what Cinderella is singing about. And on some level I agree with her.
Our hearts dream and sometimes it happens in sleep–when the busyness of the day and what we consider hopeless reality consumes our thoughts. Sometimes it’s in that quiet place of sleep or nodding off or when we first wake…God can whisper endless possibilities into our hearts.
It kindles and burns.
It causes us, like Cinderella, to put one foot in front of the other. To look out with longing and dream of what could be. Something much bigger than us.
The clock–a killjoy–ticks, robbing her of her dreams. I don’t think time itself robs us of our dreams (God uses time to fulfill our dreams), but I think it represents day to day activities and all the troubles that tick by that hinder us from dreaming.
“In dreams you will lose your heartache, whatever you wish for you keep…”
If they’re God-given dreams it’s true! God never changes His mind about us. He never revokes our calling and purposes. “For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.” Romans 11:29
“Have faith in your dreams and someday, your rainbow will come smiling through, No matter how your heart is grieving if you keep on believing, the dream that you wish will come true.” Rainbows are a sign of promise!
And our hearts do grieve us, don’t they? “Hope deferred makes the heart sick.”(Proverbs 13:12) That blasted Grandfather clock ticking!
The key: Have faith. Believe. The grandest dreams, the impossible, the scariest in a sense, dreams do come true.
Look at Cinderella. She wanted out from under the bondage she lived in,
enslaved to people who used and abused her. She wanted to feel beautiful, cherished, loved. She was made to be more than a slave. Like Joseph. Thrown into circumstances he couldn’t control.
She had faith. She kept dreaming even when “reality” told her it was impossible. When her heart was grieved. When the killjoy clock ticked and forced her into a day she would not have normally chosen for herself.
And things began to click into place. Unexpectedly. A ball. Resources and people who were put in her path to help her succeed. When God has a plan for you, and He does, He will go far beyond your expectations. You won’t have a simple carriage, you’ll have the best carriage–made from the impossible! A pumpkin! Miracles happen.
You won’t have a nice dress. You’ll have the best dress.
It won’t come without some troubles, stumbles, and opposition along the way.
But in the end…
If you keep on believing. The dreams, that you prayed will come true.
How big have you been praying? Has fear been holding you back? How can you change that today?
An inspirational and thought-provoking post for me. And thanks for the Cinderella/Genesis connection! We haven't found a church home in our current location, but I do try to do a weekly lesson of sorts for the little ones and Cinderella is popular enough in the house for them to be able to draw a connection. This will make wonderful discussion material!
Some of my favorite verses and one of my favorite songs:) I'll be singing it all day–my children will love you for it!
One thing I LOVE LOVE LOVE about Joseph's story (told you he's been all up in my face lately) is Genesis 41:14 "So Pharoah sent for Joseph, and he was IMMEDIATELY brought from the dungeon"
Oh, makes me want to shout! Joseph, 13 years after his dream, 13 years of bondage used for preparation, and yet when God saw Joseph was ready, when God's timing came, IMMEDIATELY it all changed. Nothing can stop God's timing of the dreams and calling He's given, and things can change in the blink of an eye when our preparation, His seasoning, and His timing all meet.
Selah!
K. Now I"m ready for my day. Thanks for giving me church this morning:)
I LOVE The Circle Maker. I just started reading the third circle last night. Thank you so much for recommending it.
It's too easy for me to slip into this "I don't deserve it" or "it's too big–who am I to ask for it" mode. But none of us deserve anything! God's grace makes our lives and dreams possible.
Great post! Thank you!
FABULOUS post today, Jess. So, so wonderful!! I especially loved this:
"God never changes His mind about us. He never revokes our calling and purposes."
i'm a big dreamer. Always have been. I think I have my family to thank for that–they've never squelched my hopes or given me that narrow-eyes-you-really-think-THAT-is-going-to-happen look. But even as huge as I like to dream, I still sometimes have a little trepidation about moving toward the dream…as if I'm a) either thinking to highly of myself by going for it or b) might ruin things or make some massive misstep. Thing is, if it's God's dream for me…He's not going to let me throw the whole thing. And if it's God's dream for me and if I keep my eyes on Him through the whole thing, He'll keep me from getting prideful or all "I got this on my own." He's faithful like that–faithful to give me a nudge or a shout and point me back to giving Him the glory.
I've been wanting to read The Circle Maker forever. Must get on that!
Oh, you are good, Mrs. Patch! I never would have made the Cinderella-Joseph connection, but this is so great!
And just like Joseph, and Cinderella, when it's God's time for your dream it can happen SUDDENLY. I'm so glad I serve a God of SUDDENLY!
This song will be stuck in my head all day! Great post. I've been begging people to read the book too. It's awesome! I want to live it out!!
Love Cinderella and this post. I admit, the practical side of me sometimes wins out when thinking about my dreams. Sometimes I start thinking that maybe I misinterpreted what his dream was for me. But like you said–if we're spending time in His presence, we're more likely to know.
I really am rendered speechless by this post! The message is beautiful and I have that song from Cinderella playing in my head 🙂 You're so right about God fulfilling His promises.
I'll have to read the book you recommended.
WOW, Jess, your words are so beautiful. You've mentioned that book before, but now I need to check it out! I love the tie-in with Cinderella. Wisdom personified from you here: "Have faith. Believe. The grandest dreams, the impossible, the scariest in a sense, dreams do come true." So very true, and tweetable. Love you, Fiend!