Growing up I had some amazing dreams about being an astronaut, hitting the game winning, buzzer beating, shot at the NCAA championship game, being president, and having all of the best super powers (Superman still beats Batman). I use to go to bed excited because I couldn’t wait to dream, because at that point in my life anything and everything was possible for my future. I don’t remember the actual moment my dreams started to die. Maybe it was when someone told me that because my eyesight was terrible I could never be an astronaut. Maybe it was when I realized that super powers weren’t real. Maybe it was when someone told me to grow up and be more realistic. I do remember that dreams were not exciting because I no longer saw them as possibilities but as false hope and pointless. For the rest of my childhood I was dreamless.
Then, one night in my dorm room in the middle of nowhere Iowa, I had an experience with Jesus where dreams became redefined and reignited. That night I felt God ask me to give my life to helping students have a safe place to be themselves as they get to know God and His love for them. It was a new dream. It changed my life. I became ignited to invest my life in living this dream out. It was a huge transformational moment in my life because of the dream, but also because it stoked the hope and possibility area of my life.
I have spent the last 20 years living that dream out. Over the last 2 years my life has not been easy, two jobs have ended abruptly, friendships have been strained, my family has experienced the shock of moving and trying to develop new relationships, and the voice of the dream is over have whispered in my head. There is nothing more challenging and defining than when a dream from God is up for grabs in your heart. The thoughts of: were you sure you heard the dream right, if this was from God wouldn’t it be easier, and maybe you have messed the dream up can flood your thoughts and begin to erode your confidence. I have been distracted from the dream that God has given me. I have felt like a victim and spent way too much time on blame. I have felt purposeless and spent too much time watching Netflix and playing video games. I have felt my belief in the dream hanging over the edge of the cliff.
Over the last weeks, God has reminded me of who He is and that if He gives us a dream then it is real and it doesn’t have to make sense, but that it is always possible. As I have agreed to believe in God’s dream again, I am coming back to life and purpose. As I remember the dream, God has reminded me of past dreams, what He has done in and through me as I have pursued this dream, and He has begun to plant new dreams in me.
I believe that many of us have been given dreams from God – dreams to be teachers, doctors, missionaries, worship leaders, people of integrity, and people of impact. I believe that God has given us big dreams and I believe that many of us because of life or situation have forgotten the dream. I encourage you to remember the dream that God gave you. It may seem impossible or way out of your league, but I invite you to not give up hope. Remember the dream.
Steps to Remembering the Dream
- Spend time with God
- Write down the moment you felt the dream and the things God had done in and through you
- Ask Jesus to forgive you where you stopped believing the dream
- Talk to people who believe in God and you about the dream
- Take one step into living the dream
Phil. 3:13