Keep On Dreaming

I saw a quote on facebook the other day.  It was short, and I’m sure the person who posted it meant well.  Here’s what it said:  “Die with memories, not dreams”.

Now, I know what the quote is trying to say.  It’s encouraging people that, if there’s somewhere you really want to go, something you really want to do, then go there and do that.  Don’t put it off so long that you never get to do it at all.  I understand that, and there’s nothing really wrong with it.

But at the same time, it kind of bothered me.  I happen to think dreams are important.  I think they’re important no matter what our age or position in life.  I would not want to die without dreams.

The thing is, when you think about it in this context, what are dreams?  They’re things you want to do.  They’re things you want to be able to accomplish.  Having dreams means you’re still looking forward.  Having dreams means you still have things you want to do with your life.  Dreams, really, are one of the things that give meaning to our lives.

As we go through life, of course, our dreams change.  When I was a kid, I dreamed of being a major league baseball player.  It quickly became clear that wasn’t going to happen, so I dreamed of being a baseball broadcaster.  As I grew up, I dreamed of being a lawyer and became one.  I sometimes dreamed of being a judge or even a state supreme court justice.  God had a different plan, so I started dreaming of being a pastor and became one.

I no longer have grandiose dreams.  I don’t dream of being a bishop or anything like that.  I don’t even dream of being the pastor of a large church.  I love the things I do and I love where I do them.  I don’t want to do anything else.

I do still have dreams, though.  My dream now is to keep my heart open to wherever God might be leading me.  Does that sound self-serving, like I’m patting myself on the back for it?  I don’t mean it to be.  I’m not saying that I always succeed at doing this.  A lot of times I don’t.  But it’s something I pray about frequently, and it is my dream.

I hope it’s your dream, too.  All of our situations are different, of course.  There are some things we cannot do, some opportunities that are denied to us.  But I still hope this is your dream.  Because no matter how many things we cannot do, there are still things we can do.  No matter how many opportunities are denied to us, there are still opportunities that we do have.  As long as we’re here on earth, God has reasons for us to be here.  And if we pray for God to help us open our hearts to wherever God might be leading us, we’ll usually find that God will answer that prayer, often in a way we didn’t expect.

So keep dreaming.  Keep praying, too.  Open your heart to wherever God might be leading you.  You might be surprised at what God has in store for you!