“Here comes the dreamer!” That’s what Joseph’s brothers said as he wandered by. And that is what they’ll say as you wander by if you don’t know how to act on your “Compelling Call”. If you only get “clarity” and fail to build “momentum” and gain “alignment” then you’re toast…just a dreamer. Vision without discipline is a daydream they say.
Being thrown in a pit and sold by brothers must have matured Joseph a bit. As a slave boy in Egypt he quickly rose up as head of Potiphar’s house. Even when unfairly thrown in jail, Joseph kept his head. He found favor with the jail keeper, was put in charge, and built a reputation interpreting dreams instead of telling them. Interesting lesson here. This guy was a learner.
Of course, the big break came when Pharaoh had a nightmare. Joseph’s reputation got this slave boy a bath, clean cloths, and an audience with him. Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I had a dream and no one can interpret it. But I have heard you can.” Joseph replied, “I cannot do it, but God will give Pharaoh the answer.” Quite a shift from the cocky younger brother of earlier years.
Joseph’s dream interpretation wasn’t the significant issue though. After he shared with Pharaoh that there would be seven good and seven bad years, he shared a plan to deal with it. The big deal was the plan. He encouraged the king to appoint commissioners to take a fifth of the harvest through the good years and store it.
Great leaders assemble great talent around them. Pharaoh could see Joseph’s administrative and management skill shining through his far-sighted recommendation. It seemed Joseph knew how to build “momentum” and gain “alignment”. Pharaoh saw it and made Joseph number two in the kingdom.
So what allowed Joseph to grow as a person — from alienating his own brothers to leading Egypt through crisis and ultimately preserving Christs’ lineage? Here are five key insights to “Building Relationships For Effective Action” that Joseph must have demonstrated:
These principles work whether we’re leading a country, business, church, or teenagers. We may not be called to preserve Christs’ lineage, but as parents we are called to nurture our own. As we explore all five principles next week, my hope is that we can together discover some fresh insights from each other that enhance our impact at home…then as far as we are able.
PS: I’m sorry I’m failing to respond to all the recent comments. I’ll try to catch up. Thanks for jumping in. Less than 10% of blog readers share comments….you’re fantastic!!
