Shattered Dreams

“And we know that all that happens to us is working for our good if we love God and are fitting into his plans.” Romans 8:28 [The Living Bible]

Did someone ever shatter all your dreams? You had some great plans to do something special, something you’ve always wanted to do, and someone came along and messed them up.

Maybe your best friend moved away and now you’re feeling so lonely. You think no one can ever replace that special friendship.

Hockey’s big in Calgary. Maybe you were all set to play hockey and something happened in your family so you couldn’t play after all.

Maybe something really big went wrong in your life. Maybe your parents divorced. Maybe your parent remarried and you just don’t like your new step parent and step family.

All kinds of things go wrong in our lives at times. It happens to everyone. God gives us hope in these rough times. He says He can use even the bad things in our lives, even the hurting, disappointing things, to make good things happen in our lives. He says He makes the bitter things sweet, and turns curses into blessings. He really did that in a big way in Joseph’s life. But first Joseph had to go through the awful bad time, like we have to sometimes.

Joseph’s dad, Jacob, sent him to find out how his brothers were doing. They had taken the family’s cattle and sheep to Shechem because there wasn’t enough grass for them to feed close to home. So Joseph went to find them. Eventually he found them at Dothan.

His brothers saw him coming. They were jealous of him because he was their father’s favorite. Their father had given him a special coat of many colors but he hadn’t given any of them something that special. They thought Joseph thought he was better than them. And last time Joseph came to check on them for their dad, he had given their dad a bad report of them. So they envied him and they hated him.

They planned a conspiracy. They said: ”Look, there comes the dreamer. Let’s kill him and see what becomes of his dreams.”

But Reuben, the oldest brother, felt responsible for his younger brother. He didn’t want the others to hurt him.

He said. “Let’s not kill him. We could just throw him into a pit in this wilderness.” And his brothers agreed with him. Reuben planned on releasing Joseph later and sending him home safely.

When Joseph caught up with them, the brothers grabbed him. They tore off his tunic of many colors and threw him into a pit. Then they sat down to eat.

While they were eating they saw a caravan of camels passing by. The caravan consisted of a company of Ishmaelites, who were taking spices, balm and myrrh to Egypt to sell. Now, Reuben was not with his brothers. Maybe he was further off looking after the herds and flocks.

Judah, one of the brothers, said, “Come on, let’s sell our brother Joseph to these Ishmaelites.” And his brothers agreed. So they pulled Joseph out of the pit and sold him to these strangers as a slave. Joseph begged his brothers not to do this awful thing to him. But they didn’t listen. They probably just laughed at him. The brothers considered Joseph as good as dead and knew he would never return from Egyptian slavery.

Then Reuben returned. He looked into the pit to check on his younger brother. But he wasn’t there. Reuben was very upset. As the oldest brother he would be held responsible for Joseph, but he also really cared what happened to him.

The Bible says Reuben tore his clothes. People did that in those days to show their grief.

The brothers killed a kid, a young goat, and dipped the tunic in the blood. They took the tunic to their father and said: “Look what we found. Do you think this is Joseph’s tunic?”

Jacob recognized it at once. “It is Joseph’s,” he said. “A wild animal must have devoured him.”

Jacob was very, very sad. The brothers tried to comfort him but they couldn’t. Maybe they thought now that Joseph was gone their father would treat them like favorites. But he didn’t. Jacob really missed Joseph and insisted he would mourn for him all his life.

The brothers thought they had everything under control. They had gotten rid of Joseph. They had fooled their father and he would never know what they did. But were they in for a big surprise.

God had a plan for Joseph. God had allowed the brothers to sell Joseph but He was going to use this betrayal to save them all. He helped Joseph, the slave, become an important person in Egypt. He used this awful deed that the brothers did to bring about a wonderful thing. Keep reading the devotionals this week and you’ll find out what God did.

He does that in our lives too. Yes, even in your life. When you think someone really messed up your plans, you can go to God. Just tell Him how you feel and give Him the mess. Ask Him to make something good from it; something to honor Him. Then watch the miracle He does for you too to make something good and beautiful happen to you.

Memory verse for this week:

“And this is what God says we must do; Believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another.” 1 John 3: 23 [The Living Bible]

Going Deeper as parents:

Looking back on my life now I can see many things that I thought were out of control that God used for good. He had everything under control all the time. All that time when I fussed and fumed and worried.

Like most mothers I worried a lot about my kids. I wanted to be God to them. I wanted to make everything right in their lives and protect them from all that could hurt them. But it was only when I gave them to God and asked Him to be in charge that I could stop worrying. And it was when they made God their God that I saw beautiful things happen.

That has helped me trust God with current issues in my life; like starting my writing career. I returned to college when I was in my forties and studied Early Childhood Education. Even though I was a late bloomer as a teacher, God blessed me tremendously, and it turned out to be a successful experience. I think of all the people who touched my life and whose lives I could touch for God as I taught in a Christian preschool and later in my Christian dayhome. God brought me kids and parents who might never hear about Jesus any other way.

So now when I face change, God’s help in the past reminds me that He will also turn my new apprehensions into good things, as long as I obey Him and am loyal to Him.

Ruth Willms

Author: The Lion Tree
http://ruthwillms.com
ruth.willms@gmail.com

Want to know more about how God can help you every day? Check out my new book The Lion Tree at http://ruthwillms.com

Look for my new unpublished story, The Rubik’s Cube, at http://ruthwillms.com