When I was a little girl, I fell in love with the idea of dreaming. When I dreamed, I could be anybody who I wanted to be, do anything I wanted to do, and go anywhere I wanted to go. As I got older, I continued to become obsessed with this fantasy and utopian idea of perfection. But what little girl wasn’t? I loved watching Disney movies, awaiting the happily ever after between the prince and princess. I was blinded by the smiles and laughter. Nevertheless, every night after I said my prayers, I waited for the moon to light up the sky and before I closed my eyes in hopes of dreaming of something more magnificent and magical than the night before.
As I became older, dreaming became something that didn’t just happen when the sun rested. Teachers, coaches, and friends were telling me to dream all the time. I was constantly asked “What do you dream of being when you grow up?” or “What do you wish you could change about the world?” So in turn, I continued to dream. I dreamed of that nostalgic happiness that I learned about when I was a little girl. I dreamed of being an olympian, a singer, a doctor, Miss America, and even a teacher. I dreamed of curing cancer, eliminating homelessness, and even discovering a more effective way to feed the poor. Trust me, I dreamed of every solution to every problem that could arise.
A lot of people dream…big dreams. Whether it’s under their covers at night or in the middle of the day during a calculus recitation, people are always dreaming. However, there is danger in dreaming. When one dreams without action, that dream remains a prisoner to thought. I could wake up everyday and tell myself that I want to be a surgeon but if there is no effort in making that dream a reality, it becomes a waste. Can you imagine how many people have dreams locked in that prison because they are either too scared or too intimidated? Stop. Stop dreaming. Start doing.
1 Peter 4:10 says “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.” Take that dream that God has placed in your heart and act on it and serve other people with it. Let God’s light shine. Free those dreams from the jails of mental slavery and embrace them. God would not have given you a talent, characteristic or ability to just waste it away. It doesn’t matter what others think, this is your life! I heard a quote once (forgive me, I can’t remember the source) that states, “People are awarded in public for what they have been doing in private for years.” These people didn’t get awards by just sitting around and thinking about how nice their mantle will look with a shiny trophy on it. They worked, and they worked hard. Sometimes, a tangible trophy wasn’t even given to them but rather a sense of success and content. Nevertheless, hard work and making dreams a reality go hand in hand.
Regardless of your gender, age, ethnicity, economic status, or social status, you have an opportunity to make those wants you dream about at night a reality. Stop making excuses. Stop complaining. Stop being intimidated. God did not give you the spirt of fear but rather, vision, ability, and opportunity. So when you are studying for that exam and it gets hard, or you have to wake up an hour earlier to get into work to get work done, or you have to stay up three nights in a row to accomplish a project, you do it because Philippians 3:13-14 says “Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”
Look ahead. Press forward. Stop dreaming. Open your eyes. Make it happen.
Always remember, you are blessed, brilliant, and beautiful.
-TD
