The infrequency of dreams reaching reality is a sad indicator of where we are as a culture. Because our ‘dream’ is a window into the heart of our calling. It is an indicator of identity, a path for purpose.
Dreams don’t come true for one of two reasons, either we do not know how to dream them or we do not know how to live them. I have struggled with both for the better part of thirty years.
The first reason dreams don’t come true is that we do not dream properly. Dreams are never a means to an end. Dreams are realities in themselves. For example, if we claim to dream that we want to be in the NBA, but what we really want is to be rich or famous, that is am improper dream. If you love basketball, however – really, really, love it – well, that is a different story. Being a musician or a writer because you want to be heard is not good enough. It is not real enough. It is a fantasy, not a dream. An unhealthy impossibility. We abandon our improper dreams as soon as we realize that they will not give us the satisfaction we are truly desiring. Improper dreams can never be fulfilled because even short burst of success serve only to reveal the true improper-ness of the dream.
In order to dream well, we have to want a thing, no matter what. We have to love basketball and be willing to play when nobody is watching. We have to love art or music or acting or motherhood, regardless of the perks. Dreams can only come true if they are true dreams. If we are dreaming for wholeness or attention or fame or glory, but trying to tuck them in quietly behind a particular profession, our dreams are not true dreams and will be revealed as so in time..
The second reason our dreams don’t come true is because we do not know how to accept their trueness. We do not know how to live our dreams. It is an overreaction to the first problem. We are afraid of being a cliché, afraid our performance is not going to be good enough. Fear keeps our dreams from becoming true because it tells us that achievement rather than identity is the lifeblood of dreams. This is a terrible lie. Dreams are lived in the doing, not in the getting.
I have struggled with this for most of my life. If I can’t do something perfect, I’m afraid it does not really count as being done. If it is flawed, it is not real. In a lot of ways, it is the inverse of the first issue mentioned above. We love writing or making music or playing basketball but think if we are not millionaires, if we are not constantly validated by worldly standards, then our dream is not really alive. Struggling artist believe they need to eat like kings for their dream to be true. Cut basketball players believe they need to be in a television commercial to validate their love of the game. This is simply not true. The power to make our dreams come true is in the purity of our longings, a God-centered perspective of our purpose, and a dogged perseverance of identity.
The World Race helped rescue my dream. For as long as I can remember, I wanted to write. I wanted to be published (improper dream) because I wanted to make a living doing the thing that makes me feel most alive. But I was scared. Writing, just like the practice of any dream, is an exercise in vulnerability.
My squad helped me realize that writing is its own reward and that living my dream simply meant writing every day. Being published is a luxury. But being a writer just means showing up with words to share, with a story to tell, with perceptive wisdom and courage.
In May of 2015, Kellan Publishing sent me a contract and agreed to publish my novel “The Mountains”, which I began writing on the world race. But being published is not my dream come true. Writing the novel is my dream come true.
I dedicated the book to the men and women of N squad for helping me overcome the roadblocks to the reality of living my dream. And that nobody can tell me when I am a writer, except the voice of The Lord.
I’m so thankful for my year on the World Race and for the story it ignited. I am living my dream. Throughout my year on the field, The Lord challenged my perception of “success”, reinforced the identity He’s been pressing since the beginning of my memories, and used the Body of Christ to encourage my dream come true.
If you are interested in reading a summary and reviews, or to purchase “The Mountains”, it is available in ebook and print via the link below.
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