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| Walking even with no end in sight |
"I took the one less traveled by,I believe every person's journey is unique; but the choices each of are faced with along the journey are the same. To some the journey is treacherous, we are weary from the baggage, the valleys seem to go deeper ~ the real choice is whether we will give up and quit or we will keep moving forward.
And that has made all the difference."
I know of a young boy Joseph in the Bible. He was the darling of his father Jacob. For this reason his brothers despised him. He had a crazy dream about his 11 brothers bowing before him. He shared the dream with them probably not grasping it's meaning at the time. Now that fueled his brothers' hatred towards him the more. They even plotted to kill him. Luckily Reuben the eldest saved him and Judah another brother suggested they sell him as a slave to some foreigners. Fast forward after serving as a slave and a prison sentence albeit on a false accusation; he became Governor of Egypt and true to His dreams his brothers bowed before him.
Joseph's journey to Governor inspires me to know that the dreams I have will see the light of day. What I don't understand or have trouble with is the process of it.
The valleys don't seem to make sense, the storms seem too strong to bear.
In life, your character is formed during the tests and trials. The process to obtain pure gold involves melting of scrap gold in a furnace to separate the impurities from the gold. Just the same way you will have to go through a furnace of sorts, a fire, a dark alley ~ to obtain a character that is unshakeable when your dreams become reality.
Most times we are not patient during the purifying process, we push for the dream to become reality. We wish to bypass the process and make it unscathed. That is a pipe dream. Be willing to endure. Be willing to learn. Be teachable. Allow yourself to be moulded.
I always wonder, do you ever hear good stories without struggle, without enduring pain, without overcoming of the suffering. Mandela had to endure 27 years of political imprisonment before he became president, before his dream of independent South Africa was realized. Just like you, I love the part of the story about gaining independence, but the story would not be complete without the imprisonment.
- Helen Keller said, "Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved."
If you won't loose heart during the process, you will surely see the reality of your dream. Keep Moving Forward. You need to develop 'larger feet' to fit into the vision you have.
God gives us a vision, and then He takes us down to the valley to batter us into the shape of that vision. Oswald Chambers
When you bypass the furnace, you will get through to the other side but the joy won't last. You will realize that you shortchanged yourself. You got the raw deal. Keep the faith, choose to endure and don't let the want for ease or the hurry, steal the joy that awaits you. Be patient and let a pure gold character be developed. In the end, you will be grateful that you waited.
1 Samuel 7
New Living Translation (NLT)
12 Samuel then took a large stone and placed it between the towns of Mizpah and Jeshanah.He named it Ebenezer (which means “the stone of help”), for he said, “Up to this point the Lord has helped us!”
This post is such a gem Jep, so precious - every line is full of life and truth.
ReplyDeleteYou have captured the dream realization process so well. I used to find Joseph's words to his brothers cocky and 'disrespectful' (you know our Kenya traditions..speak well to your elders!).
But i have long discovered that the dream was probably burning and bubbling in his heart. He could not but share it! it's the same thing with me, the things that God has put in my heart to do may sound crazy and preposterous to other people (who does she think she is?!) but it i cannot keep quiet - it just bubbles out, it's an overflow and a tap that cannot be stopped. Joseph wasn't sharing it to spite anyone but probably just to express what was in his heart.
And my, the things that his words set in motion! if he had kept quiet, maybe the brothers would not have thought of 'lets sell the dreamer!'. His speaking of the dream set things in motion. A tough road yes. But the only way.
awesome awesome post.
You've captured something I had not really considered. Funny about respecting your elders :-). If Joseph had not shared his dream, there would be no story to tell. That is profound and glad you mentioned it.
ReplyDeleteTrue, the dreams we have sound crazy, but it takes a crazy person to dream in the first place. "it just bubbles out, it's an overflow and a tap that cannot be stopped."
Oscar Wilde said, “Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.” Just the same way lets express our dreams, let's let God develop that pure gold character through the valley experience.
Thanks Ngina, I truly appreciate your kind words. I always say people don't really hate the dreamer, but its the dream they don't understand!
This post is great Maureen. There is something about dreams that just makes one queer...I agree with Ngina that sometimes it burns so much you can't contain it! I want to like it 2 pregnancy (though I've never and will never be!) in the sense it changes your lifestyle. You can't tell an expectant woman to stop wearing high-heeled shoes...the pregnancy just 'forces' her. She can't even eat some foods she once liked...the pregnancy! When we have a dream, it will sometimes make us 'mad' in some way...but one thing I know, if we are patient through the process, yes process...it shall surely come to pass. In Isaiah 60:22 God says in its time (His promises, the dreams He's given us), He will hasten it! I will wait on for the vision...though it tarries...for i know it shall come to fruition!
ReplyDeleteGood call on comparing having a dream with the changes one makes with pregnancy. Harry, hahaha yes you will never be pregnant, that is established.
ReplyDeleteLike Joseph, we look mad and we need to be patient. Thanks for sharing Isaiah 60:22, nothing is impossible with God, He hastens the process according to His will. Amen - though the vision tarries, write it down, it shall surely come to pass.
Thank you for the encouragement. God bless you. Thanks for reading and sharing.