The first part of Joseph’s life summed up:
He was hated, had dreams, got a little arrogant, was betrayed, was lied about and falsely imprisoned, but maintained his integrity, yet still forgotten and left behind.
You don’t go through all of that and return to normal!
Because of Joseph’s integrity and closely following God, he became 2nd in the kingdom. And impacted the world!
There is something better than normal!
No doubt, Joseph thought his dream would be fulfilled right where he was raised. But once he was sold into slavery he never saw his homeland again. He went back many years later, but as a corpse.
Your future is not behind you!
Joseph could have lost hope but he held onto the dream and the God of that dream!
Let’s talk about the role of prayer in forward movement. Had Joseph given up on his dream, not stay connected to God, etc, he would not have been ready for his opportunity. But because he was in touch with God, was still talking to God and hearing God, all Joseph had to do was shave and put on a new shirt.
Church 29:11 