Dreams

By Mary Vee
Genesis 37:5-11

A chill breeze whipped through Joseph's tent. He shivered and yanked his blanket to his chin. I wish I could sleep. He yawned and rolled onto his side.

A few seconds later Joseph flopped over on his other side. I just know Simeon and Levi are going to pound me tomorrow for telling on them. Maybe they'll take off and leave me the work. That would be better than getting beat up.

Joseph squirmed again. At some point, he wasn't sure when, he found himself standing in a field binding sheaves with his brothers. Each one bundled his own sheaves then left the bundle lying on the ground. Joseph stepped back from his bundle. He reached down to gather more sheaves to bundle when something strange caught his eye.

He turned and watched his brothers bundled sheaves stand up on their own. His bundle stood as well. Joseph dropped the sheaves he gathered and blinked. He rubbed his eyes and then saw His brother's bundled sheaves bowed before his bundle.

Joseph shook his head and opened his eyes. He sat up in bed and took a deep breath. "Whoa. That was a weird dream." He opened the tent flap and gazed at the black sky dotted with stars. Still night out. Good. I can get some decent sleep

He closed the tent flap and crawled back into bed. Before Joseph knew it, morning came. He sauntered to the breakfast table. His brothers ignored him.

Jacob looked up. "Didn't you sleep well?"

"Actually, I had a weird dream. I dreamt we were binding sheaves in the field. My sheaf stood, as did all of yours. Then your sheaves bowed to mine."

His brothers faces became red. Simeon pounded his fist on the table. "Are you saying you're going to reign over us like some kind of king?" The brothers slammed their food on the table, got up, and stomped away.

That night Joseph had trouble getting to sleep again. He rolled around in his bed, yanked his blankets, and tried everything he knew to help him sleep. At some time, he found himself standing outside. The sun, moon, and eleven stars shone brightly in the sky. How weird. I've never seen stars, the sun and the moon at one time in the night sky. As he stood watching the sun, moon, and the eleven stars bowed to him. He took a step back and tripped. Before he landed on the ground he opened his eyes and realized it was a dream.

When Joseph sat at the breakfast table, Dan and Gad snickered and pointed at him. His other brothers joined in with their own mocking.

Jacob set his food down. "Didn't sleep well again, Son?"

"Ummm. I had another unusual dream. I dreamed the sun, the moon, and eleven stars bowed to me."

Jacob huffed. "You mean to say your mother, your brothers, and I will bow to the earth before you?"

Joseph kept quiet. His brothers turned to each other. "Why does he dream these dreams. Why is he the special one. Aren't we older? Shouldn't we have special dreams?"

Jacob stroked his beard. He didn't stop his sons from stomping away from the table. "Maybe you better not go with your brothers to care for the sheep today. You can help around here."

Joseph swallowed. "Thank you, Father."

No one seemed to know what to do about Joseph's dreams. His brothers were angry and jealous, his father was unsure, and Joseph didn't really know what to do either. When someone near you does something special do you get jealous? If they win an award or write the best story does that bother you? How does God want us to act when someone else does something better than us?