To the Dreamer...

"All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them." - Walt Disney

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Have you ever had a dream? I know that I have, and I still do. I'm not just talking about random inspirational fantasies. As a child, I had a lot of those. One day I wanted to be a famous tap dancer, and the next I wanted to be a scientist. If you look back through your childhood, I'm sure that you can find a time that you wanted to be a ballerina, an astronaut, or a race car driver. But I'm not talking about those dreams.

I'm talking about the dreams that bring life to a calling deep inside of you.

Dreams that grip your heart and dig talons so deep that to remove them would leave scars disfiguring you forever. Maybe your dream is to start a bakery. Maybe you dream of being a recording artist, a lawyer, or a school teacher. It could be you dream of being a mother or finally achieving world peace. I dream of a family, training leaders, and restoring cities.

The past several weeks I've been thinking a lot about dreams. Dreams are a vital part of life that feed the soul and fuel your passions. Dreams don't just give you something to wish for, they give you a purpose. In a way, they define you. I wouldn't say they are your identity, but dreams do say something about who you are. They have a unique way of telling people what you stand for. More importantly, dreams remind yourself what you were made for; they bring your calling to the surface.

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As wonderful as dreams are, dreams are tough. They are alluringly described in so many picturesque movies and poetic songs, but none of those stories seem to capture the difficulties of a dream. It's important to remember that there is always someone or something out there ready to drive your dream to ruin. Dreams don't just happen. They take patience, hard work, courage, tenacity, and faith. You have to fight for your dream. Because hard times come, people often forget their dreams and lose sight of who they are. Those without dreams become wandering and aimless souls who search for a place to call home.

No matter what happens, don't give up. If you do, the consequences of quitting are much more severe than the struggles of continuing.

The trials you face will not be easy, but you can conquer them. As long as you press on, you will have the passion and purpose of your dream to give you strength to push forward. Eventually, you will see your dream rise like the sun over the horizon, and it will all be worth it. The moment you give up, you sentence yourself to wander meaningless in the dark. Confusion and loneliness become your only allies.  

The trials you experience are growth for the dream you are hoping for. Preparation can be painful, and it usually isn't very fun, but it's necessary to succeed. Just like an athlete trains for a race, this is your training. A runner can't compete in a marathon without going through the pain of preparing first. Without the training and growth, you will never reach the starting line. Embrace your struggles as best you can because those struggles will give you the endurance you need to finish the race.

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Once you cross that starting line, don't be discouraged if your dream doesn't happen exactly the way you imagined. Over time, things evolve and situations change. The exact details of your dream may unfold differently than you originally planned, but that doesn't mean your dream has changed. Despite all the specifics, the skeleton of your dream is still the same. Enjoy your dream for the beautiful masterpiece that it has become. 

My last word to you is this; No matter what anyone says, your dream makes a difference. Your actions and achievements have an influence on the world and people around you whether it be for better or for worse.

It is up to you to decide what kind of difference your dream will make.

"Therefore we do not lost heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."

- II Corinthians 4:16-18 (NIV)

Change is Radical

Radical: thoroughgoing or extreme, especially as regards change from accepted or traditional forms 

Have you ever wanted to do something radical? I mean really radical? You know... those things that seem to freak people out just a little bit. Those ideas that make people look at you with questioning eyes because they are trying to figure out if you are being sarcastic or if you should be institutionalized. No one ever seems to respond well to radical ideas. They are the thoughts that always seem to be just outside of people's understanding and acceptance.

The world is full of normal people doing normal things, living what is considered a "normal" life. Let me tell you, history wasn't made by normal people. The authors of history were those people who had a radical idea and decided to do something about it. For example, let's look at the existence of the United States of America. The world may not even know that this humongous piece of land existed if it hadn't been for one man, Christopher Columbus. Yes, the Native Americans were here first, and yes, Columbus did miss North America when he first landed. However, because Columbus dared to believe the radical idea that the world was round, he went out on a search for a new path to India. As a result of his crazy hypothesis, he put North and South America on the map and opened up the possibility for the United States of America to exist as it is today. History would not have remembered Christopher Columbus if he had believed the world was flat. History would not have remembered him if he was "normal."

"Crazy people change things."

There are some traditions that exist that I don't think should be broken. Traditions became traditions and continue to exist as traditions because they are worth being traditions. They have real validity. At the same time, there are some "traditions" that only exist because they are either comforts or habits. Those are hard to break because we are creatures of habit, and we enjoy our comforts. Radical ideas require change, and a lot of people, including myself, don't usually like change. Change is hard.

I want to do something radical, no matter how hard it is. I don't know exactly what it's going to look like , but I'm going to do it. Most of my life has been spent collecting a vast number of inquiring looks. My bank of odd stares is probably much bigger than my bank of hard earned cash. If it was as easy to earn money as it was to earn suspicious glances, I would be rich. Either way, I want to do something that will change history. I want to be history's next author. It's a lot harder to change the world than it is to go along with it. Radical ideas don't make themselves. They take work, dedication, and probably a lot of rejection, but it's worth it in the end. What will people say about me when I die? How will people remember me? I want to do something to bring hope and a brighter future for millions of people. Affecting change requires being changed. If I want do something radical, it means that I have to be radical first. It's impossible to expect someone to believe my radical idea if I don't live it out. The crazy thoughts in my mind are still nothing but a dense fog; they lack clarity and resolution. What I do know is that as I continue to walk forward, without fear or hesitation, I will see my radical ideas come into focus. I will find them and accomplish them. Then, maybe, just maybe, your kids will read my name in history class. 

"Be the change you wish to see in the world."

- Gandhi 

Deeper

"As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God? My tears have been my food day and night, while they say to me all the day long, 'Where is your God?' These things I remember as I pour out my soul: how I would go with the throng and lead them in the procession to the house of God with glad shouts and songs of praise, a multitude keeping festival. Why are you down cast, O my soul? And why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall praise Him, my salvation and my God. My soul is cast down within me; therefore I remember you from the land of Jordan and of Hermon, from Mount Mizar. Deep calls to deep at the roar of your waterfalls; all the breakers and your waves have gone over me. By day the Lord commands his steadfast love, and at night his song is with me, a prayer to the God of my life."

Psalm 42:1-8 ESV

There is little for me to say about what it means to go deeper. It is hard to write about something so intricate that even I don't understand it. I wish that I could comprehend more, but  I cannot. There is little clarity to my declaration. All I can say with fair truth is that I have a burning desire to go deeper. I feel a passion within me to discover the mysteries in this world. I have already concluded that I may not always find the answers. With every half answer I do find, I uncover twice the questions. There is much more to life than we first see. There is much more below the surface. It is just a matter of diving in and realizing that it is there. That is why we have the ability to go deeper; there exists a vast extent to life that we still have not met.

I can only describe to you my need, my driving passion, to find more. Everything and everyone around us is made up of more than we give credit. If we take a moment to look, we will find that the intricacies of this world are beyond comprehension, and they all come from One man. God is the only one who can answer the questions that we find in life because He is the one who created them. He is the only one who can guide us to those answers, and he is the only one who will ever truly know. As I go deeper, I will grow, learn, and change. I want to find the answers that God has for me. I want to discover the questions and mysteries that lead me to greater knowledge and wisdom. I want to change. I want to find the heart beat of a world that is so little undersatood. I want to know the passion of the God who created it. As I continue to search and to learn, I know that God will teach me. My journey will lead me to spiritual things, wonders of life, and the concerns of people. As I keep moving forward, I will discover God. When I discover God, I will find freedom.