This Is What Dreams Are Made Of

Lizzie McGuire still to this day has my whole heart. The show began in 2001 while I was only four years old, but I remember watching reruns on Disney Channel the majority of my elementary years. The bangs. The butterfly clips. The bandanas. The denim. Lizzie in all of her tween angst not only validated every feeling young girls have growing up, but also so beautifully sent a message that it’s okay to be a little goofy, a little awkward, that you have every right to believe in yourself, to chase your dreams, and to find your way in the world if you just stay true to yourself, and those you love. Lizzie was the girl next door. She wasn’t exactly a hero, rather mostly average. But she was relatable; she could’ve easily been you or me. You either desperately wanted to be her, or desperately wanted her to be your best friend.

The entire first decade of my life could probably be best summed up in The Lizzie McGuire Movie. My parents can attest to the fact that how little girls today feel about Frozen, that’s how I felt about this movie. Especially because I was so young at the time, much of what I imagined my life one day looking like was based off of Lizzie McGuire’s great adventures and eventual epic popstar moment on a school trip in Rome. What do you mean not every 14 year old gets to ride through the streets of Rome on the back of an Italian boy’s moped?! I’m heartbroken to report that I am nearly 22 years old and this has yet to happen to me!

The questionable style choices, the friendships, the music of this movie, and everything in between, have stuck with me my whole life. But something greater did too. At the end of the movie, (*spoiler alert*, although if you still haven’t seen or heard of this now 16 year old movie, we gotta talk) Lizzie performs “What Dreams Are Made Of” solo for a crowd of tens of thousands at the Roman Colosseum. This is a shocking turn of events for said Italian boy who had previously tried to manipulate and embarrass her for his own benefit, and a beautifully orchestrated Disney moment of Lizzie coming into her own and recognizing her potential for achieving dreams once deemed impossible. If you’ve never seen it, check out the scene here, then go watch the movie because what have you been doing with your life!!! 

As a little girl, I would watch the end of this movie, dreaming not of stardom or myself in Lizzie’s shoes, but instead of that specific moment of standing on whatever literal or figurative stage it would one day be, looking around me and being able to say *this* is what dreams are made of. For much of my life, I haven’t known what I wanted to do. My dreams haven’t always been in the specific or tangible. I’ve struggled with believing my life has purpose for so long, so it’s no wonder I haven’t always been able to find my purpose. Mostly, I dreamed of happiness, of being loved and fully known.

Lizzie achieved her dreams at 14 years old. In a way, I did too. I truly and finally began a relationship with Jesus at 14, finding every happiness, every intimacy I ever dreamt of. When I found myself loved and fully known, I also found new dreams in the Lord of helping others find everything I have in Jesus. 

The World Race is a dream come true. Every moment of this present life, even the hard ones, are what dreams are made of. I don’t have any other words to describe it other than that. I’ve had several “THIS IS MY LIFE!!” moments since being on the Race, but this morning in particular came yet another. I went for a run by myself through our small little neighborhood on the outskirts of Siem Reap. We have very strict “buddy system” safety rules on the Race, so this was literally the first time I was able to go somewhere or do something alone in five months. As I was running, the red Cambodian dirt staining my legs and shoes, dodging cows in the middle of the road and stray dogs barking at my ankles, I couldn’t help but think if you would’ve shown a glimpse of my current life to myself two, three, five years ago, I 100% would not have believed it. 

An important truth I’m currently learning to embrace is that the Race, this dream come true, is arguably the best time in my life because it’s also the hardest. Some days I’m living, laughing, and loving with freedom in my heart and a smile on my face, the joy of the Lord pulsing in my veins. And some days, sometimes even within the same day, I’m exhausted, I’m missing my family and friends so desperately it physically hurts, I’m feeling the weight of the world and unable to see how God can be good in all I’ve seen and experienced. I’m learning I am not my feelings, that they can be all over the place, messy and confusing, but they do not define me. 

So what happens when your dreams are no longer dreams but instead your present reality? First, you celebrate them. Achieving your dreams is no small feat. I’ve pushed myself on the Race to live and walk in humility and gratitude. I don’t deserve this life that others, my former self included, only dream of. I never, ever want to take it for granted. Second, you create new dreams. You’ve done the impossible, why not keep pushing the boundaries and go deeper? I’m still pressing into what the Lord could possibly have for me next, but the good news is I still have six more months of dreams to live until I really need to figure it out.

I’m nearly halfway through the year where all my dreams are coming true. It’s a miracle in itself, but the Race may actually be making an optimist out of me.