“Lose your dreams and you will lose your mind.” – The Rolling Stones
Fantine, the lovelorn tragic character of Victor Hugo’s “Les Misérables" lost her dream and her life lost meaning. She succumbed to hopelessness and died. Dreams can disappoint and leave us feeling lost, without purpose in the world. If we lose our purpose, we feel we lose our reason for being.
That’s the problem with dreams. Though dreams possess tremendous power to inspire, they can also disappoint, driving us to despair. Sadly, many avoid the downside and settle for mediocre. If I can’t have my dream, then at least I won’t have my hopes dashed.
Dreaming is part of what makes us human. Dogs, horses, and cats can’t dream. They can’t imagine a new future filled with fresh possibilities. But God has put it in our hearts to dream, to aspire, to drive, to work, to desire bigger and better things! I think this is part of what it means to be imprinted with God’s image, to live as created, creative beings. God is the ultimate dreamer, the ultimate creator, and he invites us to join him in his creative enterprise.
It’s important to capture the dream God has for us. So many times our dreams are founded upon the shaky foundation of egoism. We want a better life for us and ours. There’s nothing wrong with aspiring for something better, but are we pursuing a limited, self-centered dream while God’s dream is for a much more significant impact? God’s dreams are always better than our dreams.
Dream God-shaped dreams and pursue them with God’s help, in God’s love and power. You will never be disappointed if you do.
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