16 January | Teens
«Now Joseph had a dream, and he told it to his brothers; and they hated him even more... So he said to them, “Please hear this dream which I have dreamer: ... There we were, binding sheaves in the field. Then behold, my sheaf arose and also stood upright; and indeed your sheaves stood all around and bowed down to my sheaf.” » Genesis 37: 5-7
Do you have a lot of dreams? Today I'm going to tell you the story of Joseph, the dreamy boy! He had 10 brothers –that's right, pretty much a full-fledged football team! Joseph once dreamed that eleven sheaves of grain, each representing one of his brothers, bowed before his sheaf. In another dream, the sun (representing his father), the moon (his mother), and eleven stars (representing his brothers) bowed to him. These dreams indicated that Joseph would lead his family. His brothers, of course, didn't like this at all and came up with a terrible plan: to sell Joseph into slavery. And that's what happened. Joseph was sold to his cousins, the Ishmaelites, and then to Potiphar, the captain of the royal guard in Egypt.
As much as Joseph's story may seem to go from bad to worse, in the coming days we will see that God was guiding his story, even when things seemed terrible!
Today, I'd like to focus on just one part of Joseph's story: dreams. We all need to have dreams in our lives. Dreams motivate us to live and overcome our limits. What do you dream of being when you grow up? Know that God wants to make our dreams come true, but sometimes we need to be patient, just like Joseph. God knows the right time for everything. So dream big and trust that God will make your dreams come true!
Take Action
Create a “Dream Board”! Take a sheet of paper and write or draw your biggest dreams. Decorate the paper however you like and put it in a place in your room where you can see it every day. This picture will be a reminder of your dreams and the trust you have in God to make them come true, just as He did with Joseph.