Do You Have A Dream Today?
Back in the days of steam ships, only rich white people sailed at sea. One day while sailing, something suddenly happened to the ship and it was about to sink. Terrified, the white folks aboard didn’t know what to do. Someone suggested that they do what the black folks did------PRAY.
However, unfortunately, no one knew what to say. So they called upon John, a black cook on the ship and asked him to pray. John agreed and came up on deck to pray. He started like this: “Lord on the day of hunger I went to a restaurant to get something to eat and the sign said: For Whites Only. I went to the water fountain to get water and the sign said: For Whites Only. Then Lord, I went to use the restroom and the sign said: For Whites Only. So Lord Almighty, forgive me because I know this isn’t Christian, when this ship… sinks, let it be: For Whites Folks Only….In Jesus Name I Pray, AMEN!!!
Funny Story, but if you lived in the day when there was segregation everywhere you know what its’ like to go to a restaurant and see a sign that says For Whites Only. Or what its like to be thirsty and you see a water fountain in sight, but the sign above it reads: For Whites Only. You know what its like to have to go to restroom really bad, but the sign above the restroom reads For Whites Only. Or you’re catching the bus, knowing the humiliation of having to walk all the way to the back of the bus, because the front is For Whites Only. Martin Luther King jr. lived in the midst of all this racism, and segregation, and in the midst of this mess he still had a dream that one-day things would be different. Lets Pray!
MLK was raised by his parents who taught him that he should treat all people with respect. Martin’s Father worked hard to break down barriers between the races. His father believed that African-Americans should register their complaints by voting.
As MLK grew up he found that not everyone followed his parents principles. He noticed that he and his white friends could not drink from the same water fountains and could not use the same restrooms.
MLK’s best friends as a child was a white boy and as children they played happily together. But when they reached school age the friends found that even though they lived in the same neighborhood, they could go to the same school. MLK friend would go to a school for white children only and MLK was sent to a school for black children. After the first day of school MLK and his friend were never allowed to play together again. My own encounter with racism and prejudice as fourth grader. This hurt me really bad. I know that MLK’s situation was painful for him as well and all the racism and injustice he saw had to break his heart. But it didn’t knock him down because deep within him was a dream that all people would be treated fairly no matter the color of their skin. He had a dream!
Lets look to the scriptures to see one who is also a big dreamer. Joseph in Genesis 37. Genesis 37:3-4 Now Israel (Father) loved Joseph more than any of his other sons, because he had been born to him in his old age; and he made a richly ornamented robe for him. When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him and could not speak a kind word to him. Joseph grew up in home where all his brothers hated him because their father favored him. When Joseph’s father wasn’t around he probably really got picked on. So Joseph knew the pain of being hated even though he couldn’t control the fact that his father loved him more.
In Genesis 37:5 It says, Joseph had a dream. The first thing a dreamer has to have is a dream. For Joseph it was images that were vivid during his sleep. We also can be dreamers in the sense that we have a vision for something that hasn’t yet occurred like MLK dream of the equality of mankind, or like GNLCC vision to start NLF and to build a New Life center. I’m not implying that God can’t give you a dream during your sleep as he did Joseph, but both focus on something in the future that has yet to occur. Dreamers have to have a Dream! Do you have a dream today? Do you believe that there is something ahead in your life that God is calling you to do or be? Do you envision God using you to make an impact in some way in the lives of others? If your going to be a dreamer you’ve got to have a dream.
Joseph’s dream is found in verses 6-11 and his dream was that one day his father, his mother, and his brothers would one day bow down before him. That Joseph would one day rule over them. This dream infuriated his brothers all the more. They say in Verse 8 ….Do you intend to reign over us? Will you actually rule us? And they hated him all the more because of his dream and what he had said.
The Second characteristic of a dreamer is that the dreamer will often times be hated because of their dream. Joseph was already disliked because his father loved him more and then he’s having these dreams of ruling over his brothers and parents, which makes him even hated all the more. There is jealousy because Joseph envisions something that goes against the grain of their everyday reality.
For MLK there was hatred toward him simply because of the color of his skin. MLK was hated all the more as a result of his dream of equality for all. Not everyone liked that fact that someone was challenging the way things were and have been. MLK’s dream led to boycotts and many challenges to the unjust society he lived in, and many hated him all the more for it.
I think of the many black baseball and football players who had dreams of playing in the pros and were the first to break into the sport on this level. The outright hatred they faced because of the dream they had of playing a sport that God had gifted them to play, just like the white players. I often look at the old films in the world of sports in the early 1900’s and I think of the many athletes that didn’t even get the opportunity, and I also think the sports world also missed out on a great opportunity. Who knows how many Michael Jordan caliber athletes there were. How many Jim Browns, Walter Payton’s, Venus & Serena Williams, Barry Bonds, Lisa Leslie’s, Jerry Rice’s, and a whole host of other names that would be mentioned in this category if only given the opportunity to play. Pastor Rick once said, if Michael Jordan had been born in 1930 we would probably have never heard of him. As soon as you say I want to be this or I want to make a difference in this way, someone will get in your way. Suppose someone out there says I want to be the first black President. What should you get ready for? Opposition, as many people will not like the idea of you having that dream. Some opposition will come from your own family. Remember the dreamer will always face opposition and even be hated because of your dream.
Even in the midst of hatred there are those that will keep in mind what your dream is about. Look at verse 11 His brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the matter in mind. There will always be those people that will consider or think about, and even support the dreamer to see the dream fulfilled. There will be those for you, and there will be those against you. It is a fact of life! MLK had many supporters even in the face of intense hatred.
Not everyone wants to see NLF succeed, but in the midst there are those who keep this place in mind and also see the dream, they get on board and want this dream to be a reality.
Joseph’s brothers were so angry with him that in verse 19-20 “Here comes that dreamer they said to each other. “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.” Judah convinced his brothers not to kill their brother, but to sell him to the Ishmaelites, who took Joseph to Egypt. He became a slave in the household of a man named Potiphar. The Lord was with Joseph and he was put in charge of Potiphar’s entire household. Joseph was well built and handsome and Potiphar’s wife began to take notice of Joseph. She pleaded with Joseph day after day to go to bed with her, but Joseph refused. One day when Joseph and Potiphar’s wife were in the house alone, she grabbed him and pleaded with him to go to bed with her (this isn’t Young and the Restless this is in the Bible). Joseph runs, (we need to take notes from Joseph, put on our track shoes and run) but leaves his cloak behind and the lady cries rape and Joseph is put in prison where the king’s prisoners are confined.
Third characteristic of a dreamer is that dreamers dream even when their everyday reality contradicts the outcome of the dream (REPEAT). What I am saying is that even though there is no evidence at all that this dream will become a reality, dreamers still dream. Are yal with me! Joseph was one of the youngest of his brothers, had no position in which would warrant anyone bowing down to him, but he still had a dream! Nothing in his everyday reality would tell us that his dream would come true.
MLK lived in a time when there was so much hatred and chaos between the races. Black people were treated unjustly at every turn. The government, one which was founded on all people being created equal, and Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of happiness for all (some) sanctioned and enforced these crooked rules. You tell me that MLK’s present reality wasn’t in direct opposition to his dream. There was little to reveal that one day there would be equality for all and that blacks and whites would one day be able to get along in the society together.
Young people your dream may be the first one in your family to go and to graduate from college, but your current reality is that your family is struggling financially, no one in your family has even made it through college, stay focused on the dream because dreamers dream even when there isn’t a lot of evidence to that dream being fulfilled. With God all things are possible. Someone may dream of having a marriage and a family that stays together even though you grew up in home that was ravaged by divorce, and a society that doesn’t take marriage and family serious. Even the church’s marriages and families are being devoured. Keep the dream alive because dreamers dream even when their current circumstances may not affirm the dream. Dream of owning your own business, being a professional athlete, writing a book, being a singer, a Pastor, a doctor, even being the first black president. Current circumstances may say no, but through Christ all things are possible.
Joseph was hated and sold into slavery by his brothers, falsely accused of rape, and was now in jail as an innocent man. What does this tell you about a dreamer? The fourth characteristic is that dreamers go through much suffering and pain to see the dream fulfilled. Joseph had done no wrong to deserve any of the circumstances he was facing. The dreamer will face many trials. MLK also faced pain and suffering. He was hated, he was stabbed, he was arrested, put in jail, water hosed, tear gassed, and treated as less than human. All this tells me that the dreamer has to face much pain and suffering to see the dream fulfilled. People, the fulfillment of the dream is worth the price that must be paid to see that dream become a reality. In other words if your dream is something that God has put in place, expect to hit some bumps in the road, some knocks on the head to see that dream fulfilled. With any dream there is a price to pay. Someone Once Said, “Successful people understand that no one makes it to the top in a single bound. What truly sets them apart is their willingness to keep putting one foot in front of the other- no matter how rough the terrain. Joseph and MLK kept putting one foot in front of the other no matter how rough it got they focused on the dream ahead, because the dream is in the making today. Whatever you dream of being or doing is in the making today. I often talk with young guys in middle school and high school that tell me they dream of playing pro football or basketball one day. Then I ask are you on the team. Some say, “naw I’m thinking about trying out next year.” I tell them if you want to see that dream become a reality you got to get in the game today. If you plan on going to college you can’t be cutting classes and getting bad grades. You may say, “one day I dream that God is going to use me in some great way,” but the question on the floor is, what is God doing in you today to make that dream a reality? You say well I’m thinking about coming to church and getting involved. No, you’ve got to get in the game today in order for your dreams to become a reality. What if MLK would have said, “I have a dream that one day there will be justice and equality for all, but he sat around watching football all day and did nothing in the present to see his dream become reality. We might as well have pinched him and woke him up because all he would’ve been doing is dreaming.
The last characteristic of a dreamer is that the dream given by God will always be fulfilled. Joseph was given the ability to interpret dreams and he was the only one that could give Pharaoh (leader in Egypt) the interpretation of his dream. As a result Joseph was released from jail and placed as second in command in all of Egypt. You tell me God isn’t awesome! He was like vice president. And when Joseph’s family was in need of help in Canaan during the time of the famine, guess where they had to go for help. That’s right to Egypt! And who was in charge? Right again! Joseph! So Joseph’s dream was fulfilled as he reigned and ruled over all his family and all of Egypt. Joseph was awesome because in this position he didn’t say, I told you so like some of us would have done, but he forgave his brothers and took care of all of his family because he realized the God had allowed him to go through all he had went through to see dream fulfilled. Genesis 50:19-20 But Joseph said to them, “Don’t be afraid, Am I in the place of God? You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.
MLK also saw many victories along the fulfillment of his dream as in 1964 President Lyndon Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act into law. It stated that “no person in the United States shall, on the ground of race, color, or national origin, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination”. On August 6, 1965 a voting rights bill was passed allowing African-Americans to vote. Dr. King continued his campaign for world peace. He traveled across America to speak out about civil rights and the rights of the underprivileged.
In April 1968 Dr. King went to Memphis, Tennessee to help the sanitation workers who were on strike. On April 3rd Dr. King would give what would be his last speech. The following day April 4th 1968, as he was leaving his motel room Dr. Martin Luther King, jr. was shot and killed.
Many may question and say well Dr. King didn’t see his dream fulfilled. Oh he saw it all right even before any of us saw it, he saw it. (refer to his last speech).
In Closing, Dreamers will always and forever make an impact in life that is sometimes never forgotten. Do you have a dream today? MLK died and opened up many doors for us as black people and also as a nation. Although there is still racism and prejudice and it will always be, it is nowhere close to what Dr. King faced in his day. Our dreams can take us to anywhere God would allow us to be. Do you have a Dream today? Let’s Pray!
