Now Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers they hated him even more.
It's a small detail that changes everything about how you read the rest of Joseph's story: he told his brothers about his dream, and "they hated him even more." Not because the dream was arrogant necessarily, but because it was true, and truth about someone rising above you is hard to hear from a seventeen-year-old.
What's striking is that Joseph isn't wrong about what he sees. Years later, everything in that dream basically happens. But being right doesn't protect him — it's actually what gets him thrown in a pit and sold into slavery. Having something genuine from God doesn't guarantee anyone around you will receive it well.
If you've ever sensed there was more to your life than your current circumstances suggest, and felt mocked or dismissed for saying so, this story doesn't promise you'll be believed right away. It promises something slower and less satisfying: that what's true eventually surfaces, even after years underground.
If something true about your life has been dismissed by people around you, what would it take to keep believing it anyway?
A short video on this is coming soon — for now, read on.