No one is ever born a winner. Winners are groomed and developed from average humans into who the winners they are.

In fact, the Bible says that the only thing in the mind of a child at birth is ‘foolishness’. No child is born wise, neither is any child is born a winner.

Every individual has the choice to be a winner or loser. This choice is seen and expressed in the kind of habits that dominate our life. The loser has a habit that causes him to lose repeatedly and the winner has certain habits that cause him to live in constant victory.

But it is imperative to iterate that no winner truly wins every time. Anyone can make mistakes, anyone can fall, but a winner will rise again no matter how many times he falls.

Anyone can fail an exam, but a winner will put in more effort to rewrite and get a better grade.

Winners are not people who never fail but who never quit.

Winners have certain qualities and habits that make them who they are.

These things are innate and intrinsic within them. They have a deep-seated dream, desire and passion for victory and conquest in every of their endeavours. This dream must be more than mere wish; it must be a driving force founded upon a just and selfless cause.

CAN YOUR DREAM WITHSTAND THE FALLS?

Genesis 39:20: “And Joseph’s master took him, and put him into the prison, a place where the king’s prisoners [were] bound: and he was there in the prison.” (KJV)

Joseph had the dream to be a ruler. This dream was deep-seated in his heart that he couldn’t help but tell his brothers and his father about it.

Joseph eventually became a ruler in Egypt, but not without having to withstand some of the toughest upsets a person can ever face in life. Joseph was sold into slavery by his very own brothers!

Genesis 39:18-20: “When Joseph’s brothers saw him coming, they recognized him in the distance. As he approached, they made plans to kill him. 19 “Here comes the dreamer!” they said. 20 “Come on, let’s kill him and throw him into one of these cisterns. We can tell our father, ‘A wild animal has eaten him.’ Then we’ll see what becomes of his dreams!”

“We’ll see what happens with his dreams,” they said. What fascinates me about this statement is that it was made by Joseph’s own brothers, not by a stranger or a sworn enemy of Jacob’s family.

Isn’t it amazing how the people who don’t want you to achieve the big goals God has given you aren’t always distant enemies, but people you call your friends and family?

Those you look up to for support, but instead of encouraging you, they discourage you and send you to an uncomfortable place to be groomed in something you never dreamed of.

This was Joseph’s situation. He was sold into slavery by his own brothers – what a paradox that the prophesied ruler would be sold as a slave.

That could be described as a fall, a transition from greatness to something less than what you expected. But Joseph was tenacious!

Despite the fact that he appeared to have fallen out of favour and would never rise again, he kept the dream alive within himself.

Joseph did not give up his dream despite the fact that he had lost his family, his coat of many colours, and the comfort of his father. He held it close to his heart. His dream withstood his fall.

Because Joseph believed in his dream, he excelled in Potiphar’s house. I imagine Joseph brought into the house and thinking within himself, ‘This could be the place where my dreams will be fulfilled’.

So he worked doggedly with all diligence knowing Potiphar’s house could be the place where his dreams become reality. Indeed, his diligence paid off.

Genesis 35:4: “Joseph found favour in his eyes and became his attendant. Potiphar put him in charge of his household, and he entrusted to his care everything he owned.”

Joseph became the chief administrator of Potiphar’s household. That was an elevation and a promotion. Potiphar was a very wealthy man and had lots of servants; for Joseph to be in charge of Potiphar’s household means that Joseph was the leader of all the servants and staff of Potiphar’s house.

What other honour could one ask for?

But while this was happening, Joseph had no idea that soon his dream might be put to test with another fall. Potiphar’s wife suddenly began to develop feelings for the young lad.

Genesis 39:7: “And after a while his master’s wife took notice of Joseph and said, “Come to bed with me!” (NIV)

The young man refused to heed to the temptation! Let’s pause here for a while! The temptation to become his master’s favourite was very luring and attractive, but Joseph stayed faithful to his faith in God.

If Joseph had slept with his master’s wife, there might have been no immediate consequences, but it would have led to a diversion from Joseph’s journey to success – he would never have been able to achieve his purpose.

In this event, we learn the importance of making right decisions. There are certain decisions you make now as a teenager that will give you temporal pleasure but lead to a permanent diversion from your calling.

You must be disciplined enough to say no to these things. Do not make decisions based on how they appear, appearances can be very deceiving.

Instead, look within at what the Spirit of God is saying in regards to it. If He is against such decision, you should yield to His counsel to you.

Joseph’s decision to remain chaste even in Egypt led to him being taken to prison (Genesis 39:20). He was not imprisoned for lying or for being dishonest; he was imprisoned for choosing the path of chastity.

From being the ruler of Potiphar’s household, he fell to become an inmate in a king’s prison. Again, Joseph experienced another fall. But in the prison, instead of being depressed, Joseph chose to be happy.

He chose to care for the other inmates – it wasn’t a choice made on impulse, it was the voice of his dream speaking – the voice of a dream that had withstand a fall. He kept his dream of being a leader alive and eventually became the leader of other inmates in the prison.

We know the rest of the story – Joseph was called up to Pharaoh’s palace one day, and he became the governor of Egypt. He is a living proof that dreams come true.

Winners do not lose hope no matter what they face. They believe in their dreams – they have a strong conviction that the vision that God has given them will come true.

Do you have this kind of dream? Do you have a vision that propels you to pray, fast and study your Bible? Do you have a vision that drives you to stay awake at night studying your books? Do you have a vision that propels you to work at the best level possible in whatever work you’re learning?

Can your dream withstand the loss of your mother? Can it withstand the loss of your father? Can your dream withstand the COVID and economic crisis?

Before that dream can come true, there will be lots of obstacles that will try to deter you from purpose. You will encounter a lot of ups and downs, rise and falls. But in the midst of this, keep your dream alive within. Be strong!

Let your dream withstand the fall! Turn your mistakes into miracles, your graves into gardens and your falls into an elevation towards greatness!

Written by Nwodo Divine