A Reminder as we begin a new year:
We all have our dreams--no matter our age. Oh, sometimes we have different names for them: we call 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. One of the greatest tragedies of life can be the power we give to the dreams we have of what a perfect future for us should look like. We have decided that in our future we will only be happy if we have that perfect husband or wife, adoring, beautiful children, a job that provides for us all the financial security we deserve, a house, a nice car, a perfect church, etc. All those things we are sure we deserve. And yet, those dreams if outside the will of God for our lives can be deadly, spiritually devastating. Such dreams if unfulfilled can cause us to make decisions trying to fulfill them that break the hearts of those we are called by God to love unconditionally. They can cause us to turn in anger from following God, from trusting His love and wisdom. We claim that He's blown it--that He doesn't care for us, that He doesn't really know what we need. We live the miserable "if only" life of a hopeless world. Or worse: we create a hopeless, joyless world for others.
Yet, God does know exactly what I need. He knows exactly what it will take to transform me into His likeness. He knows exactly what I need so that my life has eternal significance, not a mere earthly one. The family He has given me consists of the very people I need in my life to teach me to love unconditionally. The calling He has given me is the very one I need in order to invest the gifts He has given me fully and for His glory alone. The income He has allowed me to have is the exact amount I need to meet my needs, to meet the needs of those I love, and to "invest" in those ministries He lays upon my heart. When I moan and mope over an imaginary future that never existed, I lose every chance of learning contentment, of gaining true riches for it is "godliness with contentment that is great gain." And sadly, I lose every chance of trusting delightfully in my Savior so that He can make my paths straight. Any dream that does not have as its unshakeable foundation: "If the will of God be so" will end up being a dreadful nightmare. And, too often, I drag those I claim to love into the abyss and misery with me.
And sometimes something even more dangerous and devastating happens when I set my heart on my dream whether God is in it or not. Sometimes He gives me my dream--apart from His presence and blessing. Nothing we can accomplish on earth can ever bring us full satisfaction or full contentment. No matter how completely we fulfill our dreams apart from Him we will find ourselves feeling empty and terribly incomplete. If, for example, my perfect vision for The Acres and the cave were to be accomplished, it would not be completely fulfilling--if for no other reason than that my life on earth is brief and temporary. After I die, then what will The Acres provide for my heart and soul?
No, the only way to find fulfillment in life is to make God the center of our life and to make obedience to Him the love that drives our every choice--good times or bad. For when we trust in the Lord will all our hearts, our dreams become secondary and pleasing Him--His "well done"--becomes the only thing that really matters. What He has "dreamed up for us" becomes the resting place for our souls because we know that that "dream" has eternal worth and eternal consequence. We learn true contentment. We are richer than we could ever dream.
God has given us so much to be thankful for, so much that is worthy of praise and gratitude; and yet, we, ruing our dream world--fulfilled or unfulfilled--never see His grace, never sense His love, and lose our hope--lose all touch with the good He's bringing into our lives right now and with the sure future we have of spending our eternity with Him. That will be fulfillment. We must live in the present tense. Our future is in the hands of the God of everlasting lovingkindness--the God whose mercies are new every morning. And that is our assured hope--not a dream.
We all have our dreams--no matter our age. Oh, sometimes we have different names for them: we call 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. One of the greatest tragedies of life can be the power we give to the dreams we have of what a perfect future for us should look like. We have decided that in our future we will only be happy if we have that perfect husband or wife, adoring, beautiful children, a job that provides for us all the financial security we deserve, a house, a nice car, a perfect church, etc. All those things we are sure we deserve. And yet, those dreams if outside the will of God for our lives can be deadly, spiritually devastating. Such dreams if unfulfilled can cause us to make decisions trying to fulfill them that break the hearts of those we are called by God to love unconditionally. They can cause us to turn in anger from following God, from trusting His love and wisdom. We claim that He's blown it--that He doesn't care for us, that He doesn't really know what we need. We live the miserable "if only" life of a hopeless world. Or worse: we create a hopeless, joyless world for others.
Yet, God does know exactly what I need. He knows exactly what it will take to transform me into His likeness. He knows exactly what I need so that my life has eternal significance, not a mere earthly one. The family He has given me consists of the very people I need in my life to teach me to love unconditionally. The calling He has given me is the very one I need in order to invest the gifts He has given me fully and for His glory alone. The income He has allowed me to have is the exact amount I need to meet my needs, to meet the needs of those I love, and to "invest" in those ministries He lays upon my heart. When I moan and mope over an imaginary future that never existed, I lose every chance of learning contentment, of gaining true riches for it is "godliness with contentment that is great gain." And sadly, I lose every chance of trusting delightfully in my Savior so that He can make my paths straight. Any dream that does not have as its unshakeable foundation: "If the will of God be so" will end up being a dreadful nightmare. And, too often, I drag those I claim to love into the abyss and misery with me.
And sometimes something even more dangerous and devastating happens when I set my heart on my dream whether God is in it or not. Sometimes He gives me my dream--apart from His presence and blessing. Nothing we can accomplish on earth can ever bring us full satisfaction or full contentment. No matter how completely we fulfill our dreams apart from Him we will find ourselves feeling empty and terribly incomplete. If, for example, my perfect vision for The Acres and the cave were to be accomplished, it would not be completely fulfilling--if for no other reason than that my life on earth is brief and temporary. After I die, then what will The Acres provide for my heart and soul?
No, the only way to find fulfillment in life is to make God the center of our life and to make obedience to Him the love that drives our every choice--good times or bad. For when we trust in the Lord will all our hearts, our dreams become secondary and pleasing Him--His "well done"--becomes the only thing that really matters. What He has "dreamed up for us" becomes the resting place for our souls because we know that that "dream" has eternal worth and eternal consequence. We learn true contentment. We are richer than we could ever dream.
God has given us so much to be thankful for, so much that is worthy of praise and gratitude; and yet, we, ruing our dream world--fulfilled or unfulfilled--never see His grace, never sense His love, and lose our hope--lose all touch with the good He's bringing into our lives right now and with the sure future we have of spending our eternity with Him. That will be fulfillment. We must live in the present tense. Our future is in the hands of the God of everlasting lovingkindness--the God whose mercies are new every morning. And that is our assured hope--not a dream.
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