Keep on Dreaming

The other day this song came on the only good radio station I've been able to find in Nashville -- Lightening 100. I didn't hear any of it really except for one line: "Keep on dreamin' even if it breaks your heart."

At first you wonder: Why? Why should I keep dreaming when my heart gets broken over it. The answer is because we have to. If we stop dreaming, we just become shells of who we're supposed to be, aimlessly wandering with no fire in our hearts and no joy within our presence.

Those of you who have dreams know what I'm talking about. There was a time when getting married was a major dream for me. Then I dreamed of having a professional job. Then Joel and I dreamed of living in Nashville. God has blessed my life with the fulfillment of these dreams.

But those of you who have dreams also know that the time before a dream is realized can be so difficult. You can feel the desire for this dream so strongly in your heart, but you're met with nothing. Or you're met with a bunch of "almost" scenarios: she was almost the one for me, that was almost my big break with music, I almost published that book, I almost got out of debt, I almost got that promotion. Those times suck. They just do. It's like, you know the potential is there for greatness but you don't know how to put all the pieces together to achieve it.

Since we moved, Joel and I have both faced some really minor health problems; nothing even close to life threatening, just distracting and annoying. We're still looking for answers to the full picture of what's going on with him, but some days I can really see it wearing on him.

Something Joel and I have been saying to each other a lot lately is, "All I want is for all of your dreams to come true." I mean that with all of my heart when I say that to him. His big dream right now in life is to make a living doing what he loves -- playing music. And isn't that what we all really want? To make a living doing what we love? And these little health problems have been piping up, trying to distract him and wear him down and that's been weighing on my mind lately. I do have a tendency to treat things, especially health related matters, more seriously than needed, so I've been reminding myself that this is far from life threatening and he will get healed.

One set of our neighbors in our apartment complex is an older couple with a mentally handicapped son. I regularly see the dad outside with his son walking, getting exercise. Today I passed them and thought to myself "Do you have a mentally handicapped son? No, you don't."

And that is the way I think sometimes -- you might think you have it bad in some way but at least you don't have it as bad as that person. (I hope no one's offended by this confession). Maybe I'm wrong, but I think a lot of us probably use this as a coping mechanism when we deal with something difficult.

But I feel there's something fundamentally wrong with this way of thinking.

When I think this way, there is no joy in it. I'm sad over my difficult situation and I'm sadder over the other person's more difficult situation. Coping is definitely the right word here; victory certainly isn't.

As believers, we're called to rejoice in our sufferings -- to rejoice in the "almost" interim of achieving our dreams. James chapter 1 comes to mind:

"Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing."

So when we face trials and circumstances that seem to delay the fulfillment of our dreams, we should be JOYFUL in it, knowing that it will build our endurance and endurance will eventually work perfection of our faith. Once we walk through a trial and we endure, our faith is stronger for the next trial and we can recall God's faithfulness to us and the victory of that previous trial.

And how can we stay joyful through the difficult, upsetting times of life?

"I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete." - John 15:5-11

So instead of comparing our bad situation to a worse situation, why don't we allow our joy to be complete, knowing that if we love God and love those around us (keep his commands) we remain in His love. And His love is faithful, it's constant, it's patient, and He is always working things together for our good. I desire to approach the trials of my life in this way -- knowing that I am loved unconditionally by a God who cares about the dreams in my heart.