I tend to be a dreamer. I like to relive dream-like memories. I like to dream about the future. I like to let my mind wander through silly, fantastical dreams as I watch the clouds float through the sky, birds soaring just beneath them.
I like to remember the sweet simplicity of childhood moments, like playing in the rain with friends or trudging through the snow with my big brother and our dog. I like to allow my curiosity run awry as I get lost in the possibilities that the future holds. I like to find out what kind of storyline my mind will write as I relinquish control over my thoughts.
I’ve held tightly to my dreams. To my dreamer tendencies. They help me maintain eyes of wonder and keep my imagination alive. They remind me to delight in witnessing little moments, like when tiny birds splash in puddles or parents play along with their kids’ make-believe games. They open my eyes to the immense joy that can be uncovered beneath the surface of monotonous routines.
Sometimes I hold on to my dreams too tightly. Not in the sense that I refuse to follow God’s lead, but I forget to invite him in. I forget to let him dream with me. I forget to dream with him.
I forget that he is the original author – the one with the most exciting, inventive, creative imagination. I forget that my dreamer tendencies are reflections of the one who made me to be like him. I forget that Holy Spirit desires to write the stories in my mind. I forget how much better my dreams would be if I allowed Father to replace the desires of my heart with his.
During team time today, we listened to a song about leaning into the loving arms of our beautiful Father. When it finished, we took some time to create a list of 100 dreams. We allowed God to remind us of his dreamer heart. We got to thank him for being faithful as we reflected on all of our dreams that he’s made come true; all of his dreams for us that he’s made come true – dreams far greater than we could ask or imagine.
I only wrote down 35 dreams in the time we were given this morning. Some of them were grand, some of them were simple. Some I could accomplish this week, and some I could only accomplish through the power of my Father. I don’t know how many of them will come true, and I don’t know what the other 65 will be. But I do know that God is faithful and good. He’s faithful, regardless of how many of my dreams come true. He is not circumstantially good, he’s inherently good. And I know that he’s a dreamer. I know that he’s made us to be dreamers like him and that he invites us to be dreamers with him.
I think Father’s dreamer heart is one of my favorite things about him. And I think dreaming is one of my favorite things to do with him. Here are some of the dreams we came up with this morning:
- see the Northern Lights
- watch the sunrise from the spot in Maine where the sun first touches U.S. soil
- rescue someone from trafficking
- learn to ride a bike
- go to a tulip festival with Trevor
- only own/buy ethically-sourced goods
- visit the Philippines with my grandpa and Puerto Rico with my abuela
- see the sunset from a hot-air balloon
- baptize someone
What are some of yours?
