A way to start the new year, new century,
and new millennium off right.
by Trey Graham
Dreams . . . the medal to be won, the road up ahead, the ideal of the young, and the passion of the aged. Dreams . . . heavenly thoughts for earthly minds.
Some of us see dreams as the reward for our hard work and sacrifice. Most people find that their dreams are fulfilled after working and striving for many years, believing all along that tomorrow’s rewards will outweigh today’s sacrifices. Dreams call us to labor in the morning and to study at night, to pray despite being troubled and to love despite being hurt.
Carl Sandburg taught us “Nothing happens unless first a dream.” We all have personal and organizational goals we would like to accomplish, but dreams take us higher and work us harder than goals. My dream is only mine and your dream is only yours. We all have dreams. No one in the world can keep me from dreaming — except me.
Joy in the journey
Surprisingly, the journey toward dream fulfillment may be more satisfying than the actual attainment. A sense of pride and achievement results when the team works all season to win that championship, when a student’s dedication is finally rewarded at graduation. Henry David Thoreau once wrote “I have learned this at least by my experiment: if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.”
Sometimes, however, dreams just happen. God gives us the chance to be involved in what He is doing in this world and among this people. Or maybe He gives us a special, personal desire to be something or do something no one else could possibly ever be or do.
Dreamers need friends. Dreamers need those who will dream and hope and pray and believe. Dreams should be shared, but only with a select few, only with those who will catch the dream and help us move toward it, believing that it can be done.
Vital need
The most miserable people in the world are those without dreams, those who cannot see that finish line just around the corner, that good report coming at the next doctor’s visit, that love of the friend we are just about to meet. Sadly, those who do not dream may even try to stop others from dreaming.
Today in business we have a lot of new phrases to help people achieve goals: positive imagery, company vision, and the like. Coaches say, “Play like a champion today.” Really, these corporate or athletic leaders are just telling you what you already know: You need to hope, you need to believe, you need to dream.
Taking action
After we dream, however, we must act. Dreaming is the starting line for change, the initiation of progress, the launch pad for a new life. But we cannot simply dream: We must act. We must start the race; we must put the soul of our dreams into the flesh and bones of reality.
My dream is to be all God has called me to be and to preach the good news of Jesus Christ to all I meet. My dream is to love my wife more tomorrow than I do today. My dream is to pray more, love more, serve more, dream more. My dream is “Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13, 14, NIV).
Take a minute today and ask yourself “What is my dream?” And then, with Stephen Leacock’s reminder “It may be that those who do most, dream most,” take that step, plant that seed, say that prayer, dream that dream.
About the Author
Trey Graham, of Plano, TX, is the senior pastor of the First Baptist Church of Melissa, TX (www.fbcmelissa.net) and the founder of Faith Walk Ministries (www.faithwalk ministries.com). He is a popular speaker and the author of the inspirational book of short stories Lessons for the Journey. Trey’s articles have been published in the editorial sections of the Dallas Morning News, the Amarillo Globe-Times, and the Beaumont Enterprise, as well as numerous guest columns published in the religion section of the Dallas Morning News. In addition, Trey has had articles published in Christian magazines across the United States and Canada, including Plain Truth, Christian Courier, Alive! Light, DFW Heritage Newspaper, Worldwide Challenge, Proclaim, and Growing Churches. He can be reached at trey.graham@ west-point.org or via http://www.faithwalk ministries.com.