Lifes Little Detours Pt. 5 A Dream Worth Pursuing

We have been following the story of the biblical Joseph. The point of departure of Joseph’s life was when he asserted, “Listen to this dream I had” (Gen 37:6). This declaration set him apart from his brothers. They hated him for it. Why were they so paranoid? Joseph had a dream and they were scared of its fulfillment. Do you have a dream or do you waste your life daydreaming? Is your life governed by a dream or by a list of wishes? If you have a dream, is it worth pursuing?Joseph had a dream worth pursuing. T. E. Lawrence, in his book Seven Pillars of Wisdom, writes, “All men dream but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake up to find that it was vanity. But the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they might act their dreams with open minds and make it possible.” A dream worth pursuing has four qualities: clarity, size, consistency, and creativity.

To determine whether your dream is worth pursuing, you need to evaluate it in relation to these four qualities.

Is Your Dream Clear Enough to Inspire Passion?

If you have a dream, you must be able to see the end from the beginning. Joseph’s dream was very clear. He understood his dream and those with whom he shared it were able to see exactly where he was headed. When he shared it his brothers hated him. When he shared the second dream, his father rebuked him. His dream was that he would rule his family and it was clear enough to inspire passion. A dream worth pursuing should be clear enough to inspire passion. Do you have a dream? Is it worth pursuing? Is it clear enough to inspire passion?

Is Your Dream Big Enough to Stir Up Faith?

Your dream should be big enough to be a faith project because it is beyond your current abilities. Joseph, at the age of seventeen, had a dream to rule his family; thus, his dream was bigger than his family, bigger than his age, bigger than his experiences, bigger than his resources, and could only be accomplished by God’s hand. A worthy dream inspires faith as somebody once said, “Tell me what you believe and I will tell you what you will achieve.” A small dream leads to mediocrity. If your dream is worth pursuing, it must be bigger than yourself.

Is Your Dream Consistent Enough to Warrant Attention?

Consistency proves authenticity and earns one the right to be heard. Joseph shared his dream with his brothers and they hated him. He shared the second time and they became jealous of him but his father kept the matter in his heart (Gen 37:11). Because of his consistency, they could not just dismiss the matter because consistency builds credibility. Have you ever seen people running a marathon? At the beginning it is a crowd but it is only those who stay the course that warrant attention.

Is Your Dream Creative Enough to Bestow Identity?

Each person is unique and uniqueness is not just a virtue that makes you different just for the sake of it, but God made us unique for a purpose. Our dreams are unique because they utilize our uniqueness. You do not pursue engineering because your father is an engineer. You pursue engineering because it is your dream informed by your uniqueness. Do you know your uniqueness that defines who you really are? How much of yourself do you know or do you just believe what people tell you about yourself? Your identity involves your personality, temperament, gifts, and talents. Your identity should determine the direction of your dream and your dream should define your identity.

Yes, a lot of people die with dreams that never amount to anything. I believe every individual has a dream. Some are working very hard towards achieving their dreams. Others have given up on their dreams. Napoleon Hill said, “Most ideas are stillborn and needs the breath of life injected into them through definite plans of immediate action.”

I have a dream and I am going to pursue it, but before I tell you about my dream you need to know where I am coming from.

To be continued . . .