Dreams Do Come True

Our recent trip to Europe was just that; a dream come true.  I've wanted to take the family to Europe for a very long time and at times it just seemed like it would never happen.  Yet, I kept hoping and believing that the desire was planted in my heart for a reason. I realize a trip to Europe might not  appear to be a world changer kind of dream, but you never know what God might do yet.  Time will tell on that one.  Plus, I think that God's love towards us might be just motivation enough for God... you know, fulfilling a dream simply as a way of saying, "I love you!".

The dreams, hopes and visions that we carry in our hearts are sacred, yet often elusive.  Why is it that some dreams do seem to "come true", and others don't?  As I've considered this for my own life, some of the things that I thought were hopes and dreams really didn't stand the test of time.  With time, they faded and if it weren't for my old journals to remind me, I wouldn't even remember many of them.  But there are hopes and dreams I've carried in my heart for a long time, that have stood the test of time and seasons, that have either come true, or I believe still will. At times I'm more aware of those dreams than others, but they are always there, in the recesses of my heart, reminding me that there is more ahead.  And I believe that it matters because I believe God planted those hopes and dreams in my heart.  

I believe God gives all of us hopes and dreams.... ideas and thoughts and passions that he places uniquely in our hearts because  they are key to what God wants to do in us and through us to impact the world around us. Dreams are important.  They are part of our destiny and design.  And therefore I think its worth spending the time to figure out what our dreams really are. For me, its been helpful to look back over the years to see which dreams have always been there, albeit at times under the surface and barely cognizant to me, those dreams that continue to rise to the surface of my spirit. I know that if those dreams are to be realized, it will take work, risk, sacrifice and a whole lot of only what God can do.  I always think that if there's any chance of my dreams being realized AND making a difference in the world, then I'm pretty dependent on God to lead  and guide me in that direction.  I figure since it's God who puts the dreams in our heart in the first place, he might even be invested in seeing those dreams realized in and through us!  That's re-assuring to me and keeps me hoping and believing.

Today, may each of us move more fully towards those hopes and dreams that lie within our hearts.

 “All holy desires grow by delay; and if they diminish by the delay, then they were never holy desires.” (St. Gregory)