Don't Despise Dreaming

19 "Here comes that dreamer!" they said to each other. 20 "Come now, let's kill him and throw him into one of these cisterns and say that a ferocious animal devoured him. Then we'll see what comes of his dreams." (Gen 37:19-20)

I'm reading through Genesis now, and I'm struck by how Joseph's brothers talk about him. I really think the story of Joseph is one of the reasons I stuck around on this journey of faith. Who can not relate to Joseph in this situation? Kill the dreamer, kill the dreams. Isn't that such the logic of this world? Clearly, we don't have to honor every dream. Yet, we can sit with dreamers and their dreams. We can honor visions even while pointing to helpful realities. And yes, we can even be swept up with dreams and visions remembering times where we had similar thoughts of grandeur and optimism. Did we have a mentor? Someone who believed in us? If not, could we be the ones who birth dreams and visions?

I hope I'm ready to be the midwife. I do not need to be a star, but I do need to see dreams of peace, joy, and love become a reality. This life is chaotic and dark, and we need to unleash our restlessness in the form of creativity, not just escapism to Middle Earth, Wisteria, Glee, or wherever Twilight is set. It's clear we need more than that. Let's seek healing from our own wounds we got from stepping out as dreamers and then venture out one more time. This time let's gather allies. If God calls us family already, then let's at least be a team.

What Are Your Values?

Yesterday, I spoke at a Summer Institute I went to last year. After I reflected on my experience, our teacher led us through an exercise on values. What values are important to you? Let's name some. After we made a similar list to what is above, we were asked to choose eight. Then, three. The goal is for you to have a handful of values you know guide and anchor you. Here are mine:

My eight: Love, Mercy, Perseverance, Honor, Sacrifice, Courage, Power, Justice

My three: Love, Mercy, Courage

What are yours? Do not restrict yourself to words on the graphic.