Leadership is a process. One of the best examples of this journey is Joseph. As leaders, we oftentimes feel stuck or get the feeling that we are never going to reach the place that we believe we are called to. We don't understand why we need to go through some steps of the process. Joseph's story is one that we can closely relate to because of the experience that God put him through. While there is much more to add about his story, I just wanted to touch on a few of the main points in regards to leadership (to read the entire story, see Genesis 37:1-50).
THE DREAM
All of us have dreams. We have a desire placed into our hearts to pursue a vision that we have been called to. Joseph was no different. When he was 17 years old, he had two dreams that he shared with his brothers. His brothers already hated him, but they hated him even more when he shared his dream with them. His dream was that everyone was going to bow down to him and he was going reach a certain level of greatness. This dream only sounds good for Joseph and not for anyone else! Joseph's brothers plot to kill him, but instead decide to sell him into slavery.
THE PROCESS
Joseph becomes a slave in the house of Potiphar. Potiphar was the leader of the Egyptian guard and was one of Pharaoh's important officials. It's really neat to see the sovereignty of God in this placement of Joseph to prepare him for his dream! Looking forward we know that God was preparing Joseph to become one of the most powerful leaders in the world and allowed him to learn leadership from Potiphar. Even though Joseph was a slave, he was learning and preparing through the process.
It wasn't too long before Joseph was also thrown into prison. But it wasn't just any prison, it was a political prison. It's no coincidence that Joseph was being prepared to be one of the most powerful political leaders in the world. Everything he did and heard in political prison was preparing him to step into his leadership role at the age of 30.
“It’s the lessons that you learn in the middle of the process that you will never, ever forget.”
HE'S READY
Joseph has endured 13 years of adversity in this process that God was putting him through and now he's ready to lead. Eventually, Joseph's brothers do bow down to him just like he had dreamed. But it took Joseph 13 years to understand what it truly means to lead. God didn't prepare him so that people would bow down, but to lead the largest nation in the world. The encouraging aspect to me about Joseph's story is that God is always preparing me for something greater. The process that I am in right now is giving me the necessary tools that I will need for my leadership roles later on in my life. I believe that God will call me to do great and mighty things someday, but I also trust that he is preparing my heart right now to impact others for his kingdom!
“Leadership’s not about me. It’s about God using me to do something even greater than I could ever imagine.”
Download this FREE ebook called "Not There Yet" by Perry Noble about the leadership process.