Don’t Give Up on Your Dreams

Walt Disney once said, “All our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them”. Too often dreams fail not because the dream is impossible but because we run out of steam and we give up. We need to know that God puts dreams and visions in our hearts so that He can fulfil His purposes on the earth. Often the dreams He gives us are bigger than we can accomplish on your own, so that we rely on Him for strength and courage to keep pursuing the Dream Giver to achieve His purposes! Every day, we have a choice to make. We can either give up on our dreams and dwell on the difficulty of our circumstances or we can rise above our circumstances and keep pursuing God who helps us achieve the dreams He gives us come true! You can hold onto your dreams because you have great purpose!
Psalm 37:4
⁴ Take delight in the Lord,
    and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Joseph was a dreamer. He was given a dream that showed that he will rise to a position of prominence that his family will also acknowledge. However, Joseph did not have the wisdom not to reveal this dream too prematurely to his brothers who were already jealous of him as he was their father’s favorite son. Filled with jealousy, Joseph’s brothers decided to kill him but his eldest brother Reuben intervened and they decided to put him in a pit instead. Joseph was later sold as a slave to the Midianites who then sold him onto an Egyptian man named Potiphar. Too often, we share our dreams to people around us who don’t understand God’s purposes in our life. They discourage us and the dream dies within us. Don’t let this happen to you. Trust God instead as He will give you a future and a hope to keep pursuing your dreams!
Jeremiah 29:11
¹¹ For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Joseph continued to face adversity after adversity in Egypt. He rose to a position of being in charge in Potiphar’s house but he was unjustly accused by Potiphar’s wife and spent years in prison. In prison, Joseph rose up again as the warden entrusted him to run the prison. However, the cup bearer whom he helped forgot him. However, after years of languishing in prison, the cup bearer remembered him when the Pharoah had a difficult dream that no one else could interpret. Joseph interpreted the dream and Pharoah was very impressed with Joseph. Joseph was put in a place of authority as the Prime Minister of Egypt! His dream had finally come true!
Genesis 41:37-39
³⁷ The plan seemed good to Pharaoh and to all his officials. ³⁸ So Pharaoh asked them, “Can we find anyone like this man, one in whom is the spirit of God?”
³⁹ Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has made all this known to you, there is no one so discerning and wise as you. ⁴⁰ You shall be in charge of my palace, and all my people are to submit to your orders. Only with respect to the throne will I be greater than you.”
⁴¹ So Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I hereby put you in charge of the whole land of Egypt.”

Joseph could have closed his heart, harbored bitterness against all who treated him unjustly, stopped pursuing God and his dreams and just existed. However, Joseph did not give up despite his circumstances and chose instead to keep his heart pure and chase after God and His purposes even in the dark places of his life. He kept giving his best wherever he was placed. He never complained or wallowed in self pity but instead continued to pursue God and did whatever he could to bless others. At the right time, God lifted him up. Joseph learnt humility, patience, resilience, faithfulness, obedience and did not tire in doing the right thing even if it cost him dearly. The Spirit of God and wisdom was so evident in his life! It took God years to prepare Joseph for being the prime minister of Egypt though his interview with the king just lasted a few minutes!

God is preparing you and me for something special. He may want us to go through adversity so that we have the wisdom and life lessons to be mature for that special place. What is your heart attitude as you deal with naysayers and different adversities in your life? Are you giving up on your dreams? Don’t give up! Your dreams will come to pass as the Dream Weaver weaves His ways and purposes through all the adversities you face for your ultimate good. Like Joseph, you have a choice to make everyday. Choose to never give up on your dreams. Chase the Dream Giver and watch the Dream Weaver weave His purposes in your life!
Genesis 50:20
²⁰ You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.
James 1:2-4
² Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, ³ because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. ⁴ Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.