The Purpose of Your Dream

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Who am I?

I have struggled all my life with this question. I knew who I was in the sense that I was born into a certain family, or that I was the smart kid with the loud laugh, but inside, I struggled with the question of who I was meant to be.

As kids we all get asked at one time or another, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” For me there were always three things that I said, depending on my age or on my mood. I wanted to be a teacher, a singer, or (my favorite) Annie.

Little Orphan Annie ™ was made into the movie Annie when I was five or six. That bright smiling girl had spunk, daring, and moxie! At any moment she could break into a fight or break into song. I identified with her so strongly that I drove my family crazy with my rendition of “Tomorrow”.  

Rocky Balboa and Luke Skywalker were close seconds but Annie was always the forerunner for me. What do these fictitious characters have to do with discovering who I am? Nothing and everything! 

Those things that create a spark are things that give us a glimpse of who we are as individuals. What I like, (Annie for example) someone else may see as trite, or drivel. There are some who become excited by the idea of survivalist training or climbing active volcanoes. These things do not spark a passion with me because I was not wired that way. 

For me, being like Annie is more than singing "The sun'll come out tomorrow...." It is about standing up for what I believe in, fighting along side my friends, being a leader, enjoying the most out of life and never letting the really crummy circumstances drag me down. Her character reminds me to be a person of character and to press into life with all the guts and gusto I can. 

What sparks you? 

Today is Martin Luther King Jr. Day. His passion was first the gospel and second the equality of his fellow man. Not just because of color, but in spite of it. He saw oppression and he could not stand by and say nothing. He believed the prophet Isaiah and took God's word to heart. 

"Learn to do good. Seek justice. Help the oppressed. Defend the cause of orphans. Fight for the rights of widows." Isaiah 1:17

In his famous "Dream" speech he said this: 

"I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.

 This is our hope. This is the faith that I go back to the South with. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood.

 With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day....when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, "Free at last! free at last! thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"

The Purpose of a Dream

I am not talking about the "I ate too many tacos right before I went to bed" kind of dreams. I am talking about the dreams that are bigger than ourselves. The ones that take our breath with the sheer depth and breadth of them.

Dreams move us. They ignite us. They drive us, and too often, they leave us. Or I should say, we give up on them.

If you feel like you have lost your dream, you need to remember this. Joseph stood among his brothers as a kid. Snot-nosed, arrogant, and naive, he thought his dreams meant he had it all figured out.

Instead it took expulsion from his family, false accusations of rape, jail, working for the Pharaoh and then, when he least expected it, God brought Joseph's dreams to pass. Not for Joseph's sake, but for the sake of his family and two nations: Egypt and Israel.

Dreams are markers of God's faithfulness. They give us hope, they point us in the right direction, and they take root in our hearts. If we feed our dreams we can watch them grow, but only if we do not give up. Only if we keep pressing. If Joseph had given up when he was thrown down a well, or when he was thrown in jail unjustly...what would that have meant to the world years later? Who would have gone hungry or never received forgiveness?

No matter the circumstance, we must keep moving forward. Carving hope out of despair and transforming random notes of our life's music into a symphony of praise to God's faithfulness to bring all things to work together for the good of those who love Him. (Romans 8:28)

Dreams prompt us to act. To do. To stand up. To take notice. To put the world on notice. Dreams are creative and they are often closely tied to our purpose. They are the fuel that drives us, and they are a gift of God, who knew you before you were formed in your mother's womb and who's plans for you are good and hope-filled.

Live your life with a dream in your heart, your hand to the plow and your trust in the Lord and He will direct your path.

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What is your dream?

"The Lord answered me, “Write down what I show you. Write it clearly on a sign so that the message will be easy to read." Habakkuk 2:2

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How to be Extraordinary in the Face of "WHY"

Why? 

Why is there such death and violence in the world? Why do the rich get richer and the poor get poorer? Why is there violence against children and women?

Why in this modern age is there such a thing as slavery? Why did my loved one get Alzheimer’s? Why is my friend battling cancer? Why? Why? 

This is a question that haunts so many people, especially when many believe that God is supposed to be a good and righteous God. They cannot reconcile their ideas of God to their sense of right and wrong. 

If you have asked why before, then you are in good company. 

That's right.

 It is okay to question God. 

Habakkuk did. 

Habakkuk was a priest and prophet during the time of Jeremiah and Daniel. He saw the violence and sin around him and he was confused. 

In Habakkuk 1:2-4 the prophet asks: 

Lord, how long will I call for help and you not listen? I cry out to you, “Violence!” But you don’t deliver us. Why do you show me injustice and look at anguish so that devastation and violence are before me? There is strife, and conflict abounds. The Instruction is ineffective; justice does not endure because the wicked surround the righteous. Justice becomes warped.  

Have you ever been there? I have. I have felt lost and devastated by bad news and wondered “why”. I have seen those pictures of children around the world who are orphaned, hungry, cold, and dying and thought, "why"? 

When my bills are piling up and my bank balance is in the negative, I have asked why. 

When I see my nation declining morally, spiritually, financially, and physically I ask why. 

When the news shows the face of one more soldier who is dead I ask why. 

When there is no justice for victims I ask why. 

Why is a hard question. Ask any parent who has had a two or three year old child ask "why" over and over. Children are naturally curious. How we answer can teach them life lessons or give them reassurance. If we feed them too much information, it could overwhelm them. 

Are we much different with God when we ask Him why? 

In the moments we ask why. we can rail against God, (why over and over) or we can grasp the moment and learn something from Him. 

Normal people ask why. Extraordinary people wait for God to answer.

“Look among the nations and watch! Be astonished and stare, because something is happening in your days that you wouldn’t believe even if told.”  Habakkuk 1:5 

God Has a Plan. 

Our Father has a plan. It is so amazing and full and perfect that if He told us all of it, we would be blown away! 

God’s ways are not our way. They are so much higher, and more involved in details than we can know. God shows us in bits and pieces. 

Sometimes we get a glimpse of things to come, or a sense of peace, or a reassurance that sets us back on track. Sometimes we don’t get any of these things. That is when faith comes in. 

Habakkuk 2:4 says “Behold the proud, His soul is not upright in him; But the just shall live by his faith”. 

Translation? (According to me) “Look, when you set yourself against God because you don’t like the answers you cannot find rest in your soul. Line up on God’s side and live with the knowledge that God has it under control. Live by faith!” 

We may not ever know all the reasons things seem so out of balance in this world. But there is one thing we can be assured of: God is in control and all we need to do is trust. 

Not blindly, but actively. Knowing that God is faithful and just and holy, we can rest. 

So next time you want to know why, stop and listen. God will answer. Then, it is your job to trust. Are you up for it? 

Can you share an example of a time when you asked God why?