Annoying Teens

Joseph had a dream. When he told it to his brothers, they hated him even more. He said, “Listen to what I dreamed. We were binding sheaves in the field. Suddenly my sheaf rose and stood upright; then your sheaves bowed down to my sheaf.” – Genesis 37:5-7 (MSG, adapted) 

Early in my career I served as a youth minister. 

The only way I could deal with the swirling oddities and emotional turbulence of teenagers was to remember myself at that age. If awkward and annoying teenage behaviors were Olympic events, I would have medaled. 

A decade later, I took my former youth minister out for breakfast and apologized for making his job difficult more times than I could count. I expected the always-affable Pastor Jeff to say, “Oh, you weren’t so bad, Matt. Really, you were fine!” 

Instead, he replied, “Well, yeah, you were pretty challenging and dramatic. Thanks.” 

Joseph was that kid: seventeen, preening in a designer coat, parading dreams about his family bowing to him. Sheesh. Obviously, his brothers were annoyed, so annoyed they sold him into slavery, which was out of proportion to the offense, to say the least. 

Decades later, second only to Pharaoh, Joseph doesn’t apologize to his brothers for being a juvenile twit. Turns out his dream was right all along even if his delivery needed work. 

I wanted Pastor Jeff to let me off the hook. He wouldn’t excuse my dramatic teenage self. He was just grateful I outgrew it. Maybe Joseph’s brothers were relieved to find something similar in grown-up Joseph; not a smaller dream but a man mature enough to hold it without crushing others. 

Prayer
God, don’t shrink the dreams you plant in us. Instead, grow us into people who can steward them well.

About the Author
Matt Laney is Co-Pastor of Virginia Highland Church UCC in Atlanta, GA, and the author of Pride Wars, a fantasy series for young readers. You can find original children’s stories by Rev. Laney on his YouTube channel, LaneyLit.