Dreams Are Not What I Am, But What I Can Become

In our previous entries in this series, we have talked about a couple of aspects of Joseph’s life as we have come to know it through the Bible. The story is told in detail in the later chapters of the Book of Genesis and shows us the tremendous patience, faith, and leadership that Joseph exhibited throughout his life. The dream that he had was a premonition of the greatness he would achieve, but it did not show him how difficult the path would be.

THE PROBLEMS HE FACED EARLY ON
In response to the darkest events in his life, Joseph tried to understand the present situation and adapted to it with humility, responsibility, and faith. When he was betrayed by his own brothers, thrown into a well, and taken by merchants to the markets of Egypt, he stayed faithful even in that young age and tried to solve the problem at hand. In fact, he had more than one problems to see through:

• He was taken away from his father, and his love and care, very unexpectedly and suddenly. Overcoming this sadness, and the shock of his brothers’ betrayal, in such young age could not have been easy.
• He was taken to a foreign land and sold in the market like a slave, then left in the care of a foreign master in a foreign society where he did not even know the language they spoke.
• He had no parent, guardian, or teacher to guide him with these sudden, major changes in life, which added to his problems.

JOSEPH’S RESPONSE TO HIS PROBLEMS
Joseph could have become one of the countless people in mankind’s history who chose to become victims. The challenges he faced were extraordinary and most others in his place would give up.

But he did not!

Joseph did not succumb to his losses but instead found ways to turn his circumstances into instruments of success. He made the best of his situation but stayed true to his morals. He could have compromised on his principles, used the chance to sleep with Potiphar’s wife to get even more influence in his master’s affairs, but, in this situation and others, he refused to be unfair to others even when he had himself received so much unfairness before. Over the years, Joseph used the opportunity to serve in order to buy time and learn from his surroundings and acquire skills that would help him become an effective leader later on. He helped his new master prosper with honest management of his property. He helped the warden of the prison manage other prisoners without harsh punishments. In the land where even the language was foreign to him, he focused on learning, used his principles to serve, and found better opportunities without compromising on his morals. And thus, God blessed his journey to greatness.