Dreamers

(Genesis 37:19, 20 KJV) And they said one to another, Behold, this dreamer cometh. Come now therefore, and let us slay him, and cast him into some pit, and we will say, Some evil beast hath devoured him: and we shall see what will become of his dreams.

Dreamers are usually inspiring because they have the ability to open one’s mind into the realm of what appears to be the impossible. However, the purpose of such ability should be that of moving one from the dreaming realm into the realm of reality. As a matter of fact most worthwhile realities were actually incubated in someone’s dreaming realm.

For some reason the dreamer not only has the ability to inspire, but he also has the ability to antagonize the non-dreamer, as was the case in our text.

All of Joseph’s brothers were hard working men, but none were dreamers. Joseph on the other hand did not seem to like to work hard, but he was a dreamer. Joseph’s dream was antagonizing enough to his brothers, but when he flaunted what he thought the interpretation was, that was the last straw. Joseph’s attitude is what led to the comments in our text. The brothers had had it with Joseph and figured enough is enough.

One either appreciates dreamers are they do not.

Dreamers seem to fall into three different categories. The first category is the prophetic dreamer...which is what Joseph was. His dreams spoke of the future of Israel. Joseph’s brothers on the other hand were incapable of dreaming of the future because they were more interested in the here and now. In other words, where could they find enough grass for their sheep?

The second type of dreamer is an inventor type of dreamer. Inventor type dreamers usually fall into two categories. The first category is the one who is not only capable of dreaming great ideas, but is also capable of bringing them to conclusion. This is what I call a productive dreamer. I believe we need more of them.

The second category of inventors is only capable of dreaming dreams, but is not capable of bringing them to a completion. They are great at starting things, but soon they are distracted by something different or better so they never finish anything. This dreamer lives in a world of their own creation. They have conversations that never happened, and they have victories that never happened...therefore much of their world is an imaginary world and in most cases they are not even aware of it.

The third type of dreamer is the businessman type of dreamer. His dreams have to do with strategies and tactical moves to combat the obstacles that would hinder him from fulfilling his vision in the time allotted. The fact is, all serious dreamers should have a timeline of bringing their dream into a reality.

My brother-in-law, Bob Jenkins, and I were  dreamers. Our dreams may have gone in two different directions, but we always got around to doing a little dreaming every time we got together.

One of the most memorable places for our dreaming was on the back side of his ranch by a secluded pond. We would drive there to check out the water level in the pond for the animals, and usually stayed longer than anticipated. We would always lose ourselves in the deep conversation of dreaming while standing and looking at the pond. It was not long before we would be sitting on the ground and talking and looking at the pond. Without realizing it, we always seemed to end up lying back in the tall grass with our hands behind our heads and our legs crossed, looking at the sky dreaming our big dreams.

Some of those dreams actually became a reality whereas others were dreams of the goodness of the Lord. After a while we would get up and dust ourselves off and head back to his big ranch house. We would be filled with hope and a direction for making our dreams a reality.

Bob and I could communicate because we were both dreamers whereas Joseph and his brothers were not. It is very difficult for dreamers and non-dreamers to connect on ideas. In Joseph’s case the only way his brothers (the non-dreamers) could handle him was to kill him or get rid of him. Many follow this same pattern today.

Father,

I thank You for the ability to dream. I pray that You will not only help us dream, but also help us to bring our dreams into reality through Your directions. Father I also ask You to open the mind of the non-dreamer to the wonderful realm of the impossible.

Amen