What Is Your Dream?

"If you woke up tomorrow and could do anything, what would that look like?" That's the question my husband asked me last week while on vacation.

I have always been a dreamer. As a kid, I sat in my playroom for hours playing Barbies. I was obsessed with Reba McEntire, so my Midge doll with her red hair was obviously my favorite. Every doll was named after someone in Reba's family or band (because again, I was obsessed). She went on tour (in a hot pink RV), gave full length concerts, rode horses, and went skiing in Aspen (a tall desk covered with a snow-white blanket). Nothing seemed impossible to me. The most impractical of dreams seemed completely possible.

So as I sat staring at my husband thinking about this question he had asked, I honestly felt lost. Somewhere between ten year old me and now, I forgot how to dream. I have goals and hopes and desires, but to sit-down and imaginatively "dream" without first rationalizing what is even "possible", I have forgotten how to do it. I have become increasingly cynical because of disappointments over the years, but in an attempt to make myself feel less negative labeled myself a "realist".

I do not say any of this as a woe is me. Instead, I am saying it because I believe it is easy to lose your ability to dream. If you are a dreamer, you have probably heard someone say, "get your head out of the clouds." If you are a musician or artist, you probably have heard someone say, "get a real job." It took me a lot of years to finally understand that part of those statements are because they too have forgotten how to dream.

We always hear about "child-like faith" and I've always equated it to a child playing Barbies and believing whole-heartedly there was life and purpose inside this make-believe world I created. As I got older, my time playing Barbies became less and less. I could no longer spend hours in the playroom having sold-out concerts and finally one day, I just stopped playing.

Matthew 18:2-4 says, "He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. And he said, "Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven."

God calls us to be like children. As we grow up we begin to look at the things of this world in a different light. We began to measure success through worldly ideas of status and position. But Jesus is instructing us in the passage above that in order to "go up", you must first "go down." A young child is not driven by ambition or prone to hypocrisy and pride. Jesus is speaking of this humble, honest faith in God.

What is your dream? If money, time, past choices, present situations, or the possibility of failure was not an issue, what would be your dream? I believe too many times we let this world dictate to us what is possible instead of trusting in a God that defies all human logic and reasoning. We let time dictate whether we are too young or too old, but God does not measure time like we do. Our past, present and future are all the same to Him. All that matters is the choice we are making in this present moment and whether we are trusting Him with our heart and our life.

Faith is a gift from God. In Matthew 17:20, Jesus says, "Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move. Nothing will impossible for you."

I do not fully know my dream. I know aspects of it. I know I want to be in full-time ministry. I believe it is supposed to be with music. I know that music connects people and has always been my way of connecting with people. I know that my heart is with recovery and creating a safe place for people to seek help, grow in their faith and feel like they have a friend. I believe as I continue to follow God and try to be fully obedient to the call He has placed on my heart and my life, my ability to dream will also be fully revived. Maybe I will never be able to sit and play with Barbies again for hours, but I believe He can take that mustard seed of faith and move mountains with it.

I encourage you to dream today. Ask God to help you remember dreams that have become dormant. Ask Him to reveal how to revive them and bring life to dry bones. <3