Dreamin'

What are you dreaming of? I mean, if money was no object, where would you be right now? If you won the lottery (if you would never ever buy a ticket (like me) then imagine someone like your uncle gave you a winning ticket!) would you call into work and tell them bye? A lot of folks would do just that.

I don't think I would. That's not the only reason I'm there. I mean, I do need to get paid at this point in my life so it makes sense to do my best for my employer. But that is not the only reason I'm there, and to tell the truth I'm not really working for him. I'm working for Jesus, and I'm doing the work he directed me to do at the place He told me to do it. How do I know that? Because I asked Him to direct my life and I believe He is doing just that. So I'm not there just because of the money. I have a dream, it will continue growing beyond where I am just now but I believe where I am just now is an important part of it.

And your real dream is not just about work. It's about who you are. Abram had a dream to be the father of many nations. His God-given dream was not about his profession, it was about him. Joseph had a dream, it was not about his job, it was about who he would become. Moses had a dream, a picture of what God hoped for him. It was not about gaining a place of high privilege (he was already about as high in the world as he could go), it was about becoming someone of weight and substance and gravity. If Moses had focused on enjoying everything the world had to offer, he would have done so and his name would have passed into ignominy upon his death. As it is, we're still talking about him millennia later.

What's your dream? Who do you want to be? Do you ever think about it? Sometimes the days are so filled with appointments and bills and to do lists and phone calls that we forget there is something miraculous happening in us and through us. When you get interrupted from your interruptions, it's time to find a place to let your mind free-wheel for a while. One day last week, after the rush (or should I say crush) of the holidays, I was at home all by myself for several hours. I laid on my back on my bed and looked up at the ceiling and let my mind go free. I thought about all kinds of stuff, very stream of consciousness-like. After about 30 minutes I finally smiled. Then I got up and went to work around the house and enjoyed it.

When a baby is born, he or she will go through some definite and distinct stages of growth. Predictable stages. Learning how to walk and talk. Feeding yourself. Potty training. Socialization. There are predictable stages in church growth. There are predictable stages in seeing your dream become reality. I do not know what those stages are for a dream to become real, but I can tell you this. I am going to learn them. Then I am going to do them. Then I'm going to help other people walk them out. How do I know? Because it's part of my dream.