There is a children's story by Max Lucado called Hermie, the Common Caterpillar. Hermie is a lovable character, self-disparaging and just the perfect amount pessimism. Hermie has the unfortunate place in life of being a "common" caterpillar. He wishes he was more like the ant that is strong, or the lady bug who is beautiful or the snail that weirdly carries a house on his back. But alas Hermie is common. Hermie does talk to God however, and God frequently reminds him that He is not finished with him yet and that He loves him and that is enough. It is little comfort to Hermie who has ambitions to be anything but common.
Have you ever been there? Longing to be something, someone important. Ambitions to be and do more than you are now. But your ambitions are thwarted, delayed. Sometimes, it even seems as though God is the one thwarting your plans.
Doesn't He love you? Doesn't He want you to succeed? Doesn't He hear you? Isn't God the one who gave you these dreams? Won't He answer? And you hear crickets.
The Bible is full of characters like Hermie. It is full of characters like you and me. People who long for greatness, who it would seem, are even created for greatness, but are waiting for something to happen. Joseph, as in Joseph and the Technicolor dream coat, is one of these characters. Joseph, the beloved son of Jacob, comes alive to us in Genesis chapter 37. Here we find a cocky 17-year-old Jacob. He is the favorite of 12 sons. And he even has a really cool coat to prove it. Besides this, God has given Joseph visions of his future. He has visions of his brothers bowing down to him and of he reigning over them. Because he is 17, and a male, and the favorite, and lacking good sense, Joseph tells his brothers about these ambitious visions. Well, wouldn't you know it, that didn't go over too well.
Long, long story really short, he is beaten, thrown into a pit, and sold into slavery. He is then seduced, lied about, fired, and thrown in prison. In prison he rots and is forgotten. And finally Joseph interpreted the Pharaoh's dream and rose to power to be second in command. Finally he reigned over his brothers. Finally they would bow down to him. But these few chapters in the Bible actually took 13 years. Joseph was shown the visions at 17. He was immediately thrown into the pit. Joseph did not rise to power until he was 30. 13 Years of ambitions delayed.
So it happens, right? Our ambitions, our desires, our hopes, dreams, whatevers, they get delayed. It happened to Hermie. It happened to Joseph. It happens to the best of us. And while I'm glad to know that I am in good company, I'd like to think that there is a reason, a purpose for all this waiting.
STAY
