In a perfect world, I would do a couple loads of laundry every day. Last week, my world was not so perfect, and my laundry looked more like Mt. Kilimanjaro than just an average pile of dirty clothes. It took all day before I could finally see my floor.
The thing about laundry is that it’s NEVER done. (Ever finish the laundry and then walk into your kids’ bathroom? Ugh!) Even when the last pair of underwear is folded and put away, we still have the clothes on our backs and the sheets on our beds getting dirtier by the second.
Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has revealed the meaning of the dreams to you, clearly no one else is as intelligent or wise as you are. You will be in charge of my court, and all my people will take orders from you. Only I, sitting on my throne, will have a rank higher than yours.” Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I hereby put you in charge of the entire land of Egypt.” (Genesis 41:37-41 NLT)
Pharaoh had two dreams. Joseph interpreted them, gave some advice, and WHAM! Promotion. Everyone in the kingdom was bowing down to him. What a moment of destiny. Dream fulfilled. Heart satisfied. The End…..Right?
Ummm…not so much!
We tend to see our dreams as “happily ever after.” A destination. “If I can just have/do (insert dream here), I would be so happy and fulfilled forever.”
We see them like a fairy tale. Cinderella married the handsome prince…and she lived happily ever after. The End. Except it’s not.
Dreams fulfilled are not the end. They’re just the beginning. Cinderella still had to live with that handsome prince with all his quirks and habits and work at a healthy, love-filled marriage.
Joseph being put in charge of the kingdom was not the finish line. He still had to implement his plan. There was more work to the dream than he thought.
Joseph saw his brothers bowing down to him as the end. He may have run away from the dream if he knew about the pit and slavery and prison. It may have overwhelmed him to know about the whole second in command thing.
Sometimes it is a good thing we can’t see the whole picture. It might just scare us to the point of never even trying!
Dreams are like laundry. It’s never done, and there is always more to it than we think. That vision you are holding on to is only a tiny part of what God wants to do through you, and it won’t be the end when we get there….it will only be the beginning.
Cinderella had to work at a healthy marriage. Joseph had to implement his plan.
Let’s not spend so much time pining for the dream we don’t prepare ourselves for what comes after our moment of destiny.
And until then, He’s more than able to satisfy the longings of our heart. Keep holding on to the Dream-Giver. He’ll get us where we need to be and we’ll be ready when we get there!
As for me, I will continue beholding Your face in righteousness (rightness, justice, and right standing with You); I shall be fully satisfied, when I awake [to find myself] beholding Your form [and having sweet communion with You]. (Psalm 17:15 AMP)