18 Mar The Alchemist

Paulo Coelho, a Spanish author, has written an international best seller book called, ‘The Alchemist.’ It’s a magical fable about following your dream. It’s made into a film as well. The Alchemist is someone who studies how to make gold. ‘The Alchemist’ is the story of a Spanish shepherd boy, Santiago, who dreams of a treasure buried near a pyramid in Egypt. As he sets out in pursuit of his dreams he is encouraged and assisted by different people. He faces difficulties, deprivations, desert threat to his life, even the tender love of a beautiful girl called Fatima. But undaunted, undeterred and undistracted he presses on toward the goal of his
dreams. He reaches the place of his treasure and begins to dig. As he is doing so, he is badly beaten by a group of warring tribes on suspicion of being a spy. When he tells the truth, one of the group members calls him a fool and relates his own story. The man had dreamt of a buried treasure in a ruined church yard in Spain. This was the place where Santiago tended his sheep. The man said that he was not a fool to set out on a hazardous journey just because of his dreams. The boy Santiago returns to Spain and unearths the treasure.

We all have some or the other God given dreams. May be it’s about our own selves, or about our family, or about our EU, EGF, State EGF, UESI as a whole, our Church, country or the world. It’s what we want to see taking place. It’s our vision, burden and concern. Some of us may set out in pursuit of our dreams. Others may not. Those of us who will set out will find Providence assisting us. Overcoming every difficulty and distraction, we will achieve our dreams. Those of us who don’t set out, or give up half way through, will live to regret for the rest of our lives.

There is the story of another Alchemist in the Bible. His name is Joseph. He had his God given dreams. He dreamt that eleven sheaves of grain are bowing down to his sheaf (Gen. 37:6, 7). He dreamt a second time. This time he dreamt that sun, moon and eleven stars are bowing down to him (Gen. 37:9).

THE ALCHEMIST He faced lots of difficulties in pursuit of his dreams. First, he got rebuked by his father and hated by his brothers for his dreams (Gen. 37:4, 5, 8). Second, he was plotted against and sold by his brothers (Gen. 37:20, 28). He cried for his life. But his cries fell on deaf ears (Gen. 42:21). He was bruised, bound in chains and taken to Egypt in slavery (Ps. 105:18). Third, he was falsely accused by Potiphar’s wife of an attempted rape (Gen. 39:14, 15). Fourth, he was put in prison for two years for no fault of his own. Fifth, he was forgotten by the man whose dream he had correctly interpreted and whom he had requested to mention him to Pharaoh (Gen. 40:23). Anyone would have got discouraged, defeated and distracted by these unjustified difficulties. But not Joseph! He persevered in the pursuit of his dreams. In the pathway of his dreams he not only met difficulties but divine assistance too. First, God granted him favor in the eyes of Potiphar and he became in charge of Potiphar’s house (Gen. 39:4).

Second, God granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden and he became in charge of the prison (Gen. 39:22). Third, God granted him favor in the eyes of Pharaoh and he became in charge of Pharaoh’s palace (Gen. 41:40). Fourth, later on he became in charge of the whole land of Egypt (Gen. 41:41). Wherever he was, he was in charge and a blessing to all. Finally, his dreams came to be fulfilled. His eleven brothers come and bow down before him (Gen. 42:6; 43:28; 44:14). From slavery he rises to be the savior of his family as well as the whole land of Egypt (Gen. 45:5; 50:20).

Do we have any God given dream? What is it? Are we pursuing it undeterred and undistracted? If not, we will live to regret one day for the rest of our life. If we have set out we will find divine assistance and enabling, and one day success will kiss our feet. We would have achieved our God given dreams.

About the Author

The author Richard Masih is former UESI Staff now ministers at large based at New Delhi. He can be contacted at richardmasih@gmail.com