Be Careful Who You Tell Your Dream To
How many of you have big dreams? You have dreams of owning your own home. You have dreams of buying a new car. You have dreams of owning your own business. You have dreams of a family. You have dreams of a promotion. You have dreams of a big bank account. You have dreams of being an actress or actor. You have dreams of being a singer. You have dreams of being a pastor. You have dreams of being a teacher. You have big dreams. You have dreams of many things. Let me give you some advice. Be careful who you tell your dreams to. Not everyone wants you to succeed. Not everyone supports you in your aspirations. They may be your friend in your face. They may be the biggest supporter in your face. But when you turn your back. When you are not around, it is a different story. Be careful who you tell your dream to.
When you have dreams and aspirations, these are your dreams and aspirations. Some people in your life will try to pull you down. Some individuals have had a dream, but they did not pursue it. Because they did not pursue their dream, they try to stop you from pursuing yours. They tell you the things that could go wrong. They try to stop you. They do not want you to succeed. Sometimes the dream God placed in your heart is for you alone. You hide it in your heart. The same way you hide God’s Word in your heart. God is trying to take you to another level. And so many times, we try to take our friends with us. Some years ago, I wanted to start my own greeting card business. I created all the artwork and the verses in the cards. I was the creator of everything. It was my baby. I had a friend whom I shared things with. I began to tell them about my dream of starting my own greeting card business. I even shared some of my earlier work. They wanted to help me with the business side of things. We decided we were going to go into business together. I thought that was a good idea. My hands were full of all the creating. I trusted my friend.
This friend did not say negative things. They encouraged me. My friend truly thought it was a good idea. They thought it was awesome. I believe that is what hooked me. I did not see the signs. I was basking in someone else’s approval and guidance. I stopped listening to God speak to me. We can get lost in what man is saying. We close our ears to God. Even if what they are saying is positive. That does not always mean it is good. Some time went by. We started truly laying out all the specifics of the business. I had created more designs. It was coming together. I had various sections of the greeting card line. It included holidays, special occasions, and a just because line. Naturally, I was sharing this with my friend. Now, keep in mind I have not signed any contract with them. Quite frankly, I was doing all the work. They had not completed research on the business end, outside of what we had discussed. One day, my friend came to me and told me they wanted to talk about the business. I said OKAY, let’s talk. They told me we owned the rights to my graphics and verses together. It would be a fifty-fifty partnership. At first, I thought this must be a joke. I realized it was not a joke. I said Uhm, no, that would not be the case. I owned the rights to those areas, I created them. My friend tried different ways to get me to agree with the decision. I refused. They said I was being unreasonable. I did not understand where this was coming from. This dream I had was dear to my heart. That is the point right there. The dream was dear to MY HEART because God had given me the dream, not my friend. That is where we go wrong. We could have great intentions, but that does not mean that is what we are supposed to do. That is not the direction God had given us. Or the direction he had told us to go in. We do that on our own. Do you remember the story of Joseph and his brothers?
Genesis 37:5-10 says, 5-7 Joseph had a dream. When he told his brothers, they hated him even more. He said, “Listen to this dream I had. We were all out in the field gathering bundles of wheat. All of a sudden, my bundle stood straight up, and your bundles circled around it and bowed down to mine.”
8 His brothers said, “So! You’re going to rule us? You’re going to boss us around?” And they hated him more than ever because of his dreams and the way he talked.
9 He had another dream and told this one also to his brothers: “I dreamed another dream—the sun and moon and eleven stars bowed down to me!”
10-11 When he told it to his father and brothers, his father reprimanded him: “What’s with all this dreaming? Am I and your mother, and your brothers all supposed to bow down to you?” Now his brothers were really jealous, but his father brooded over the whole business.
God did not tell Joseph to tell his brothers or his father about his dream. His brothers were jealous of him. God did not tell me to tell my friend the dream. My friend was envious of my dream. They wanted to capitalize on my creativity, take the business, and run with it. Not everyone will share in your joy and excitement. Why do we need to share our dream, our great thing, with others? Maybe because we want someone to share the excitement with. I know that is why I shared it. Perhaps we need that extra encouragement to take that first step. Whatever the case, sometimes it is best to hide it in your heart. If you need guidance, go to God. If you need encouragement, go to God. If you are unsure of what step to take, go to God. Whatever you need, go to God. Your biggest cheerleader is your Heavenly Father. Remember, He is the one who gave you the dream, the desire to do what you want to do. Sometimes it is best to keep it to yourself until God tells you to share.
