Genesis 42:18-38, 43; Matthew 13:47-58, 14:1-12; Psalms 18:16-36; Proverbs 4:7-10

“Coming to his hometown, he began teaching the people in their synagogue, and they were amazed. ‘Where did this man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers?’ they asked. Isn’t this the carpenter’s son?…Where then did this man get all these things? And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, ‘A prophet is not without honor except in his own town and in his own home.’” (Matthew 13:54-57 NIV)

Today we are taking a little break from Joseph since he is in the midst of working through his hurt and anger over being sold into slavery by his brothers. I imagine we’ll pick back up with him tomorrow once he’s come to a place of forgiveness and acceptance, but for today, we will look elsewhere at what the Lord has been speaking to my heart.

We know that God’s promises are true, and when he gives us a dream and a purpose, we can follow his lead down the path He provides toward fulfillment of His promises. We can step out in complete faith, knowing that the Lord is standing beside us and will bring us blessing as we continue in faithfulness with Him. But we also know that it’s sometimes the people closest to us who will be our biggest naysayers. Jospeh’s brothers meant to humble him; Jesus neighbors were offended that he taught powerfully in the synagogue.

I think there are a few reasons this plays out in the people closest to us, but what it all stems down to is their own emotional and spiritual state. Sometime people don’t support us because they themselves didn’t feel supported. Maybe they aren’t seeing fulfillment of the dreams placed in their own hearts. Maybe they have completely fallen off the path God intended. Or, as we are all sinners, maybe they remember our past, and can’t reconcile how we could go from that, to where we are now. We may never know why a close friend, family member, or long-time neighbor doesn’t support us in our dream–they may be unable to search within to find the true reason–but we can absolutely not let it affect us.

We know that Jesus was perfect, so we know that his hometown was not remembering a rambunctious troublemaker now preaching the Word of the Lord. We know Jesus was perfect, so He was speaking truth powerfully and mightily everywhere he went, not excluding his hometown. We can assume that it was their own heart issues they were dealing with. I can imagine them thinking the audacity of Jesus to grow up with them, become a tradesman along side them, then to come back preaching to them about how they needed to live their lives. How dare he think that he’s better than them and speak to them that way?

Isn’t that was it comes down to so often? As you pursue your calling and your promises, others will assume you think you are better than they are. They will assume that you think your calling is more important than the life you created around them or the life that they are creating for themselves, making you “better” than they are. We know this isn’t true! Every promise that the Lord makes to his children is equally important in the Kingdom of Heaven–it’s our own societal views that tell us one thing is more important than another. But people will take that to heart. If you are working toward a continued education, people will wonder why you think you are smarter than they are. If you are taking speaking opportunities, or working on a book, those closest to you may wonder why you think your words are important enough to immortalize on paper. As you move forward in faith, there will be people trying to hold you back, keeping you at the level they think you “ought” to be at.

And let’s face it, because of our cultural views, many of us may be pursuing specific areas, not because the Lord called us to it, but because we think it would be cool, or it would make us special or gives us purpose. But purpose doesn’t come from worldly success, and we are not promised this success when we follow the path to our promises. No, God’s purpose leads us into eternal life abundant, where our heavenly reward is greater than any thing we leave behind on earth.

Today I’m here to tell you to do it anyway. Can you imagine what would have happened if Jesus stopped because of his naysayers? He couldn’t! He was perfect and he knew the plan and promise that the Lord had laid out for him. If you have pursued God and His heart, and he is giving you a direction and laying out a path, you need to step out wholeheartedly! But that is the first step–God is always first, with His heart and will for our lives. Pursuit of something he’s promised outside of his leading will ultimately fail. When we wait on Him, we will see his good fruit.

I hope you have support for your dreams today. If not, there will be a community excited to support and recognize what the Lord is doing in your life. You may not experience that with those closest to you, but it is out there. The first step is to take all of your leading from Jesus, and he will be your greatest encouragement and supporter.