📅 July 27, 2025
🌾 Joseph – Faith that Endures
Devotions from the Life of a Dreamer with Character
🧍♂️ 2. When Your Family Doesn’t Understand You
God sees your heart – even when others only judge your dream
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👣 Introduction
Family – it should be the place where you are understood, encouraged, and supported.
But for Joseph, it was different.
His brothers couldn’t make sense of his dreams –
and they didn’t want to.
They saw him as arrogant, prideful –
maybe even dangerous.
And so brotherhood turned into envy.
Envy into rejection.
And rejection into betrayal.
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🎯 Devotional
📖 Genesis 37:8
“His brothers said to him, ‘Do you intend to reign over us? Will you actually rule us?’ And they hated him even more because of his dreams and his words.”
Joseph was young – but he had something many older people had lost:
a clear vision, a fresh faith, a heart willing to dream big.
He didn’t invent those dreams.
He received them – directly from God.
And he didn’t share them out of pride –
but because he believed they were important, something he had to speak about.
But his brothers couldn’t – or wouldn’t – see that.
They didn’t hear the voice of God –
they only heard, “He thinks he’s better than us.”
💔 This is something many who carry a spiritual calling will recognize:
What is holy to you can feel like a threat to others.
Not because you’re arrogant –
but because your faith confronts them.
Because your dream unsettles them.
Because your light exposes their shadows.
Instead of asking honest questions, Joseph’s brothers made him an enemy.
Instead of testing whether the dream might truly be divine,
they decided to tear him down –
so they could feel tall again.
👉 But here’s the truth: God didn’t give up on the dream.
He didn’t abandon Joseph – even when others did.
God was working behind the scenes.
He even used rejection, loneliness, and pain –
to shape Joseph’s character,
so that one day he could carry the dream he had once seen.
📖 Ellen White writes:
“When God calls a young person, He also tests their patience.
Rejection is sometimes part of the preparation.”
(Paraphrased from Ellen White)
Joseph’s story reminds us of a deep spiritual truth:
Sometimes God gives you a dream before you’re ready to live it.
And the road to that dream often leads through misunderstandings –
especially from those closest to you.
Because nothing hurts more than not being understood –
by the people you love.
But nothing shapes your heart more than faithful patience in hidden seasons.
Joseph could have given up.
He could have chosen revenge, closed himself off, grown bitter.
But he remained humble.
He worked. He served. He waited.
And God was with him – in the pit, in Potiphar’s house, in prison.
Because God not only saw the dream –
He saw the heart.
💡 And this truth applies to your life as well:
Not everyone will understand your calling.
Not everyone will share your fire.
Not everyone will grasp your longing for more.
But God sees everything.
He sees you.
He knows what He placed inside of you – and why.
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📝 Story – When Sara Dared to Step Up
Sara was 17 when she sensed God calling her to take responsibility in her church.
She told her parents.
Their reaction?
“You’re too young.”
“Focus on school instead.”
“Wait until you really know what life is.”
Sara was hurt.
But she didn’t give up.
She served quietly.
She prayed.
She read Scripture.
And she grew.
Today, at 25, she leads a small group –
and her parents? They’re grateful
that she didn’t give up when no one understood her.
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🧠 Reflection – What Does This Mean for You?
🔍 Have your dreams or your faith ever been dismissed by your family or friends?
😔 Have you felt alone or misunderstood because of it?
🛐 Are you willing – like Joseph – to hold on to God’s calling anyway?
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💡 Action Steps for Today
✅ Forgive those who don’t understand you – especially if it’s your family
✅ Ask God to keep your heart soft – free from bitterness
✅ Remember: just because others don’t see it, doesn’t mean it isn’t real
✅ Reread Genesis 37 – and pay close attention to Joseph’s posture
📖 “They didn’t understand – but Joseph stayed faithful to what God had shown him.”
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🙏 Prayer
Lord,
you know my heart.
You know what you’ve placed inside me –
even when others don’t see it or believe it.
Help me hold on – not out of pride,
but out of trust in you.
Teach me to forgive those who don’t understand me,
and give me a heart that remains faithful – like Joseph’s.
Amen.
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📌 Takeaway for Today
“When others don’t see your dream – God sees it. And He sees you.”
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🌿 Blessing for the End
May the Lord bless you with a heart
that stays strong even when misunderstood.
With inner peace when others misjudge you.
With faithfulness when the path is quiet.
And with hope – knowing that God sees what He Himself planted in you.
May God bless your journey –
even when others don’t understand the road you’re walking.
He is walking with you.
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