Work It
The story of Joseph, son of Jacob, is one of those tales that transcends faith. It’s one of the stories that has spun its way out of the church sanctuary and into the common imagination.
It’s the account of a boy because that’s what he is when we first encounter him, a boy—a child. A kid given three incredible gifts: the love of his father, the ability to dream, and the knowledge to understand the dreams of others.
Joseph dreamed he would be more, do more, and his brothers hated him for it. That dream, coupled with his father’s favoritism, created a bitter tonic that ultimately led to his undoing. But you probably already know the story. If not, you can find it starting in the Old Testament book of Genesis, chapter 37.
Long story short, his brothers sell him, he’s accused of rape, thrown into prison, and forgotten. Then, one day, Joseph is given his shot. He is summoned to the court of the most powerful man in the land, the Egyptian pharaoh, to interpret a dream.
He’s dragged from his prison, paraded through glistening halls and the monument-ridden landscape of the royal complex. He has marched past wisemen, royal courtiers, nobles, and everyone dressed like important people. And then, he is told of Pharaoh's reoccurring dream and asked to interpret it.
And interpret Joseph did. It was a simple thing, considering it was one of his gifts. The dream meant that for the next seven years, Egypt would experience a bounty. A golden era. They were followed by seven years of severe hardship, drought, and famine. Joseph didn’t stop there. He went on to give Pharoh some advice: act wisely. Live these seven years in light of what’s coming. Store up food, make all the necessary preparations, and create the infrastructure to oversee and distribute what’s needed to the people in their time of need. And then? How did the ruler of the Egyptians respond? By Making Joseph his number two and placing him in charge of collecting, storing, and distributing.
A rags to riches story, if there ever was one. But something often gets overlooked. What comes next?
Joseph leaves Pharaoh and spends the next seven years working, collecting grain, storing it, and creating a system to ensure the survival of not only Egypt but his family.
Joseph worked.
The boy had a gift, and the boy had a dream. Life worked hard to knock it out of him, and if most of us were in his shoes, we would have given up the vision and succumbed to bitterness right after our siblings sold us off to the highest bidder. But Joseph kept his faith in God. Then, when the gift unlocked the dream and made it a reality, what happened? Joseph worked.
Gifts, talents, and dreams will never be enough. After all Joseph went through, God owed him nothing. It was up to him, by the sweat of his brow and the use of his intellect, to leverage all God had given him to make that dream come true.
One day, like Joseph, you may reach your finish line. But on that day, don’t buy the lie. The work isn’t done yet. Keep going. Your gifts won’t work unless you do.