“The soul without imagination is what an observatory would be without a telescope.” Henry Ward Beecher
You can’t do it. Stop trying. It’s impossible.
Could there be a deeper wound to the spirit than hearing words such as these? Whether they land in our ears from the lips of another, or are the result of darts loosed from within, the affect is still the same: the wound of doubt on a hopeful heart.
We are made to be dreaming creatures, are we not? We sense higher purpose, so we direct our eyes upward to look for it. We’re fueled by a vision, charged with imagination, and chasing a notion that there’s something more; a special place for us, one that feels like home, somewhere we finally “fit.”
It’s a longing that refuses status quo—a stirring that has no logical origination for the outsider to observe. Yet even so, it burns like a raging inferno, unable to be extinguished by the harshest of critics.
Friend, these are the fires of your dreams. And the world needs them now.
“Where there is no vision, there is no hope.” George Washington Carver
In the bowels of this hurting world is a unquenched throb for redemption—for an everlasting hope to lay hold of. And when God sets his children to be dream-chasers, he sends them forth as lights of glory in the midst of man’s impossible. We dream big because our God is bigger than any thrill of fancy could conjure up; when a desire is sparked by his creative torch, no man’s discouraging word can snuff it back out. The bigger the dream, the grander the testimony, and the brighter the glory. Our dreams enable a vibration of hope to ring loudly for the praise of his providence.
“A single dream is more powerful than a thousand realities.” J.R.R. Tolkien
The world needs dreamers who dare to take God at his word—who trust mustard seeds can move mountains (Matthew 17:20), and that with God all things indeed are possible (Matthew 19:26). This doesn’t mean all our dreams will come true in this life—for some must await their eternal fulfillment. But it means by God’s will and grace, they absolutely can. And exchanging a can’t for a can makes all the difference to our everyday countenance. It turns our cries into exuberant shouts, our sorrows into rejoicing resolve, our laments into songs of expectant thanksgiving. When all of our “can’ts” surrender to God’s “cans,” hope blushes cheeks like a child gone running. Praise you, Lord! You may not…but you can!
“Proceed with much prayer, and your way will be made plain.” John Wesley
In a world drenched in doubts, friend, dare to dream. What is this thing you’ve been given that doesn’t seem to fit anywhere? To what heights does your heart soar when you think upon this thing—this tingle without a place to call home? In what direction does your frown turn when you ponder the cans of your God, who specializes in turning man’s “impossible” things into his “finished” things? No, we may not know how these dreams are to unfold, but we do know this: “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life” (Proverbs 13:12).
“You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.” C.S. Lewis
A dreamless heart is a sick heart, a sad heart, a waning heart, even. But a heart set on fire with the blaze of God’s hope will draw crowds in to witness the flames. This world needs your dreams, dear friend, because it needs to know our all-things-possible God by name:
El Sali– God of my Strength /// El Hannora–The awesome God /// El Chaiyai–The God of my life /// El Gibbor–The mighty God
By your prayerful steps of faith, the path will be revealed. By your patient steadfastness, your hope in God will not be put to shame. As Martin Luther King, Jr. encourages, “Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.” Friend, the world may not see the staircase to which you’re being led, but that doesn’t make it any less there. So don’t give up, friend—go, and step on in faith. Invite God’s possible into the dare of your dreams—the world needs it more than you’ll ever know.
“Every man must labour to be a blessing to that place where the providence of God casts him. Wherever we are, we may find good work to do, if we have but hearts to do it. If we magnify every little difficulty, start objections, and fancy hardships, we shall never go on, much less go through with our work. Winds and clouds of tribulation are, in God’s hands, designed to try us. God’s work shall agree with his word, whether we see it or not. And we may well trust God to provide for us, without our anxious, disquieting cares. Be not weary in well-doing, for in due season, in God’s time, you shall reap.” Matthew Henry’s Commentary on Ecclesiastes 11:1–6
