Dreams

We all have our dreams--no matter our age. Oh, sometimes we have different names for them: hopes, aspirations, objectives, and when we really want to take them seriously--goals. But they're all just our dreams--for us and for those we love.
And dreams are not necessarily bad things; in fact, they are usually good things. They keep us positive in our view of the future. They can motivate us to do our best, to make sacrifices for the good of others. They can build within us an endurance, a determination to keep going through difficult times. Even "castles built in the air" can cause us to keep our feet on the ground, pursuing better things through hard work and perseverance. Dreams can be a very positive influence in our lives.
Yet, dreams can be a hindrance as well. If our dreams are outside the known will of God, they are deadly. Such dreams cause us to make decisions that break the hearts of those we are called to love unconditionally. Dreams that are individual and do not take into account the needs of others can cause us to do the same thing. Failure to fulfill our dreams, as realistic or unrealistic as they were, can lead to an apathy that smothers the dreamer in self-pity and bitterness. We, often, find ourselves blaming others--or even God--for such failures, for such feelings of incompleteness. We even have a tendency at times to think that realistic dreams are actually not dreams at all.
But the greatest danger comes when they are fulfilled. Why? Nothing we accomplish can ever bring us full contentment or satisfaction. No matter how completely we fulfill our dreams, they can leave us feeling empty, terribly incomplete. The only way to find fulfillment is to make God the center of our life and obedience the love that drives our every choice--good times or bad. For when we trust in the Lord with all our hearts, our dreams become secondary and pleasing Him becomes all that really matters. What He has "dreamed up" for us becomes the resting place for our soul because we know that that "dream" has eternal worth and consequences.
Any dream that does not have at its center "if the will of God be so" will end up being a dreadful nightmare.