The Dream Giver

Some very special girlfriends (you know who you are) recently urged me to read Bruce Wilkinson's book, "The Dream Giver". What a blessing it has been to me and my family!

We all have dreams, which are constantly revealed in our gifts, natural tendencies and yearnings. Our constant exposure to these indicators, however, causes a kind of blindness. (Ever left something sitting so long that you no longer notice that its there? Or have something "broken but functional" until you no longer consciously acknowledge its need to be fixed?)

Our dreams are such an integral part of our lives that we're often too close to them to see them. They come in all shapes and sizes, in all kinds of categories, each equally important to both us and to the One who placed them inside of us.

Some are common to many: to have a great marriage, to raise happy, healthy children, to be a great parent. Some are unique to us individually: to orchestrate an inspiring ministry, to teach high school, to defend children, to heal cancer. Some are large, by human standards: to publish a best-selling novel, to become a prominent lawyer. And some, though small in human terms, are large in eternal terms: to take care of an aging parent, to heal a relationship with a loved one, to help our children choose the right career.

We err in assuming that our dreams are unworthy of pursuit because of their lack of gradeur. It is often the small things of this world that God uses to accomplish the large things.

1 Cor 1:27-28 tells us, "God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are."

To us as individuals, that means being the very best You or Me that we were created to be, striving for those dreams that God planted inside of us.

I have this wonderful friend who is the most hospitable person I've ever met. She will cook scrumptious meals and have an armload of folks over to eat, invite them all to stay for however long they'd like, and make them feel like her home is more "homey" than their own. She loves to have company. She collects recipes to delight her guests. Her dream? To be surrounded by friends and family. To love others through serving them. Being who she was created to be.

She glorifies God and demonstrates His love through her dream. That is what we are all called to do, through all the dreams we have, both big and small.

So, who are you? Who are your children? Who is your mate? What did you love to do as a child? What do you love to do now? What comments or compliments do you most often recieve? What gifts or traits do you most notice in your loved ones? These things reveal our dreams.

Implanted in your being by the Creator, our dreams have huge potential in His kingdom. Maybe they are not things that the world would recognize as "great", but they are gigantic from the eternal perspective. To deny them is to bury them in the backyard, like the unfaithful servant did in the parable of the talents.

Remember, in Matthew 25? The poor guy only had a one talent. Not worth doing anything with, really. Isn't that how we look at our dreams? And the response of the master?

Matth 25:26"His master replied, 'You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? 27Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest. "

Our talents, our dreams, will grow as we use them and live them, even just a little. The Master says, "at least you could have put it in the bank (where it would be safe?) so it would earn some interest." And here's the best part; the Master Himself determines the interest rate. He is in absolute, divine control of the growth of our dreams.

There is no greater thrill than to be pursuing the dreams that the Dream Giver created inside of us. What an adventure our lives could be!

So, my friends, open your eyes and dream.