Dreamers Suck.
I don’t really like dreamers. Dreamers dream a lot, but don’t do much. It’s tough to see the dream happen if you won’t work toward the dream.
My “real” job is working with kids at our church – Cross Points Church. This month we are going through the story of Joseph.
Joseph is the 11th of 12 brothers and the favorite of his father Jacob (Jacob is the grandson of Abraham). I’m sure there is a reason why Jacob favors Joseph, but it’s hard to see at first. Jacob must see it, because he truly believes Joseph is best.
However from the text all I see is a dreamer.
Joseph dreams big dreams, but does nothing other than lord the dreams and his favored son status over his brothers. If I was one of his brothers, I would have been in the thick of selling Joseph off as a slave.
Something funny happens in Joseph though. Maybe it was being a slave. Maybe it was prison. Maybe it was being abandoned by his family. Maybe it was maturity.
Joseph was transformed from a dreamer to a visionary.
Dreamers and Visionaries
There is a difference between a visionary and a dreamer. In his book, Visioneering, Andy Stanley puts it like this:
Dreamers dream about things being different. Visionaries envision themselves making a difference. -Andy Stanley
If you simply imagine a bigger house, better job, more beautiful wife, more doting husband, shinier car, larger church, more relevant ministry, more loving family, more understanding boss, better behaved children or all of the above without doing anything – you are a dreamer.
If you see yourself creating a loving home, adding to your company, becoming a great husband/wife, earning a new car, helping build a large, relevant ministry, making your boss successful, becoming a better parent you are visionary.
Do you see it? It’s subtle. Dreamers dream but stop at the dream. Visionaries dream and go to work.
I want to be visionary.
I want more than different; I want to make a difference.
I’m writing this post because I believe I’m making a difference…in you and me.
It ends with glory.
Stanley says the difference between the dreamer and the visionary is making a difference. He’s right, but I’ll add one more piece.
Glory.
Both the dreamer and the visionary dream of glory, but the purpose of glory is different.
A dreamer wants glory for himself (Joseph originally dreamed of his brothers bowing to him). The visionary wants glory for something or someone greater than himself (Joseph eventually dreams of saving the nations – including the family who betrayed him).
As a Christian, I want to bring glory to God.
So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. -1 Corinthians 10:31
Vision
My 2014 Word of the Year is VISION.
I am purposefully writing my way through the year about VISION. If you would like to follow along with me, feel free to join my email list. You can find my past VISION posts here:
If you would like to learn more about Word of the Year, start here:
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