Denton County Living Well Magazine March/April 2019 | Page 21

Joseph had a dream. He made the mis-
take of sharing it with his brothers. Maybe
you’ve had a dream that others despised.
It’s especially hard when you share it with
family and friends who should be happy for
you, instead they throw you in a pit. Jealou-
sy can make people do crazy things. And it
was 13 years before Joseph would receive
the promise. Thirteen long years until he be-
came second in command in the palace.
There are times when things go on for so
long, we simply give up. Let these stories
encourage you. The process may be long,
we have need of endurance, but there is a
day when the promise is fulfilled.
Charlee Tabor Photography
In the meantime, I’m learning that I can
actually enjoy the process. How do we do
that? We keep in mind there is a promise
on the way. And while we wait we can be
thankful for what the process is producing
in us. James 1 says to consider it pure joy,
whenever you face trials of many kinds, be-
of seeing the Patriots win. I’m personally in
it for the commercials. But here’s something
else I observed, the final winning number
was 13. That number can represent some-
thing unlucky, but not for the Patriots. For
them it represented the promise fulfilled. In-
terestingly, the number represented a prom-
ise fulfilled for some in the Bible too. Maybe
you’ve heard the story of Abraham. God
promised Abraham and Sarah a child. She
was beyond child bearing years and didn’t
believe God could deliver on the promise.
She had need of endurance. Instead, Sar-
ah decided to help God out. She gave her
maidservant to her husband to conceive a
baby. But if she just would have waited a
little longer, she would supernaturally give
birth to Issac. Ok, maybe it wasn’t just a
little longer, there were actually 13 years
between Ishmael and Issac.
cause you know that the testing of your faith produces per-
severance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may
be mature and complete, not lacking anything. I’m sure
Sarah wasn’t rejoicing in the process. She was too busy
taking matters into her own hands. While Joseph showed
great endurance through the trials, I bet there were times he
questioned the dream. We can have a dream and believe
it should come to fruition immediately, but life isn’t always
like that. But rest assured, if God promised, He will do it.
He’s not a man that He should lie, and He always keeps
His promise.
Sometimes, the longer we wait, the greater the struggle; the
greater the glory at stake. I’m not sure what your dreams or
promises are or how long you’ve waited, but I can tell you
from experience, it’s always worth it. Jesus said, “For the
joy set before Him, He endured the cross.” He was willing
to suffer because he looked forward to what the suffering
would produce. What was the joy set before Him? What
was the promise? It was me, it was you.
To learn more about Michelle and see what she’s up to, visit her page on Facebook at
“Michelle Wallace-Hand of the King” or her read her blog at www.farmhouseliving.com.
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