God the Dreamer

God has got a dream for you. In one of Garth Brooks music videos there is a teenage boy who has Down syndrome. The boy wants to run track. He practices and he practices. His coach is not too hopeful. His father challenges him to be all he can be. The day of the track meet the young man gathers at the start line. The gun fires. The runners take off. Half way around the track he takes a bad fall. The coach watches from the sidelines, the boy’s mom stands up in fear from the stands. The father rushes to the boy’s side. The father in a bold and loud voice tells the son to get up and finish the race. He tells him this is what he has been training for. This is his moment. He can do it. He has the strength. The boy looks up with blood on his face and determination in his eyes. He races down to the finish line. It didn’t matter that he came in last, it mattered that he finished. His father was proud because he had given it his best shot. He had the courage to get up after he had fallen. Courage gives strength to our faithfulness.

Consider the courage of Joseph. He was an ordinary carpenter with a pregnant wife-to-be. To marry her, he would have to break all of society’s rules. But could his dreams about the baby be true? How could Mary be pregnant – before they were married? Joseph knew he was not the father. So who was the father? Could Mary’s story be true? Had an angel really told her that she, a virgin, would conceive “by the Holy Spirit”? I am sure the questions made Joseph’s head ache. He loved Mary. They had already gone through the customs for engagement. But if he married her now, he’d be the laughingstock of Nazareth. Neighbors would count the months as Mary’s waistline grew so soon after the wedding. There would be no doubt the timing was off. All of Nazareth would be spreading gossip about who the real father was and call Joseph a fool. The situation was beyond Joseph’s control and beyond his understanding. Then an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. He listened to the angel, “Joseph, do not be afraid.” “Mary will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people form their sins” (1:21). The Bible says, “When Joseph awoke from his sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him; he took her as his wife” (1:24). Joseph’s response demonstrates that he had the courage to leave a legacy by remaining by Mary’s side.

Do we have the courage to leave a legacy? We are given a short time on earth to leave a legacy. An inheritance doesn’t involve any personal involvement. A legacy takes courage to live out. Joseph could have chosen to bail out. He could have said, “You know Mary this is too difficult,” or “This is not exactly what I was expecting.” He could have walked out on her and society would have said good for you Joseph! Instead Joseph showed courage. Joseph listened to the dream that God had for his life. It takes courage to listen to God’s dreams. God has dreams for your life - just ask Joseph!