Dream (Photo credit: jbelluch)

Dreams are fragile, yet powerful. I’m not talking about the dreams that we get while we sleep, but the inner longings that burst within our heart while wide awake! The dreams that pull within you, sometimes whispering and at other times screaming within. I believe these are the God-given dreams, given not just to delight, but for a greater purpose.

Throughout the Bible God used dreams to lead & guide people’s lives. A dream led Abraham into an “unknown land”, a dream carried Joseph through slavery & prison, and it was the dream of redemption that motivated Christ to endure the Cross.

So how about you, how have your dreams guided your path in life?
I believe God uses our dreams to turn our hearts because we are so emotionally & spiritually connected to our dreams. Check out this Proverb from the Bible:

Prov 13:12
Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but when dreams come true, there is life and joy. NLT

Basically it says when our dreams come true life is good, when they don’t, we’re depressed!  What a choice, no wonder we’re so tied to our dreams!  But there is more to pursuing our dreams than simply avoiding depression. Our dreams are tightly linked to our life purpose, they are a part of who we truly are. For this reason, an unfulfilled dream can make the “heart sick”.

Anyone who has ever realized their dream can testify that they have experienced this “heart sickness”, disappointment, discouragement, depression, whatever you want to call it. It’s almost as if this experience is a pre-requisite for attaining your dream.

Since Easter was yesterday, let me put it this way “How were people able to tell if Jesus really was, who He said He was?”  It wasn’t through his teachings, good deeds, or miracles.  It was through His resurrection!  You see, only God has the power of life & death.  Jesus allowed Himself to be killed, so that He can prove Himself by resurrecting from the dead!

Check this verse out:
1 Peter 1:23
having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever, NKJV

What this means is that whatever is born of God is incorruptible, eternal, it cannot die!  So if Jesus really was God in the flesh, then death wouldn’t be able to conquer Him.

So here’s the application. I’ve been asked many times, and wondered myself, “How can I tell if my dream is of God? If it’s worth pursuing?”

According to the scripture above, if your dream is “born of God”, it too is “born of an incorruptible seed”, eternal, it cannot die!  Just like Jesus in the tomb, God-given dreams refuse to die!

Has one of your dreams ever died?  You have a dream, you pursue it, don’t reach it, pursue it again, and don’t reach it again.  Over time you can start to think maybe this isn’t the path I’m supposed to take, and thus, your dream dies.  Or maybe you pursue your dream, but the people closest to you, stomp on it and crush it until it too, dies off. Or how about this one, being so frustrated at the lack of dream fulfillment, that you kill the dream yourself, saying it’s just not worth it!

Regardless of how your dream may have died, it’s never fun and can be a heart wrenching experience to think that your dream may never come to pass.  Having a God-given dream can at times seem like a curse, it keeps showing up, refusing to die, saying “I’m still alive”.  It may be months or even years that you try to forget about it. But if that dream is of God, it will keep coming back seeking it’s birth, beating within you, saying “I’m still here, it’s still possible!”

It’s this experience of seeing your dream die before your eyes, only to have it resurrect from the dead, that solidifies it’s validity, giving you the conviction that this dream is a God-given dream that must be accomplished!  It’s this process that re-shapes your dream, and refines you and your methods of it’s attainment. It’s when this dream rises from the dead, that you are willing to go through whatever it takes to give birth to it!

Celebrating the Resurrection on Easter reminds me to also celebrate the resurrection of dreams, dreams that have been forgotten, beaten, abandoned.  Take a moment of silence and listen to your heart…Do you hear the heartbeat of your dream? Can you hear your dream speaking? “I’m still here, all is not lost, this was all a part of the plan, it’s still going to happen.”

Embrace the life of your dream, for dreams are the seeds of reality!

Cheers to Your Good Life!