Why Grown-Ups Are Not Good Dreamers

I always loved dreaming about what I would be when I grew up. It was the question most adults asked you when they were trying to be nice and didn't really know what else to say. I didn't mind, though, because it stirred up  a great amount of excitement for me. When you are four, or five, or even ten, there is no pressure, no sense of regret or frustration with it.  When you have the whole future ahead of you anything is possible. You can dream about being a mommy or a teacher, an astronaut or a nurse.  You can plan to travel the world, help the poor, cure cancer.  Why not? The sky is the limit.

But somewhere along the way those dreams drift into the everyday responsibilities of life.  “What do I want to be?” is hijacked by “What needs to get done today?” The need to be responsible and practical overcomes the dream.  There are people who depend on you, bills to be paid, homes to keep in order, jobs to be worked, laundry to conquer, food to buy and cook.  The original question is written off as a childish exercise in developing your imagination.

But, should it be?

Ephesians 2:10 says: “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.”

What are those things He planned for us?  Did he plan for us to be so bogged down in everyday responsibilities that we can’t see beyond our “to do” list? Is our sole purpose for being put on this earth to clean up after other people, shuttle, hurry, wash, rinse, repeat?

Or have we missed something? Did the Infinite Creator of the Universe put in us the desire to create?  To build?  To build-up? And if so, what is keeping us from it?  

What is that dream that lies dormant, almost lifeless?  What questions do we need to ask ourselves so that we can fan into flame those gifts, those dreams, those abilities that were put into us and planned for  since the creation of time?

Here are some new questions to ponder as we hurry along our  in duties today, shuttling, cleaning, filing….

• What do I love?  What gives me great joy?
• What do others say I am good at?  
• What do I think I am good at?  
• If time, money, and ability were not an issue, what would I love to devote myself to and become an expert in?

In other words, if I could dream again, and live my dream, what would it look like?  Who would I love to take along with me?  What would I love to look back on and say, “Wow, God, we did it! “  

Although you obviously can’t  accomplish it all in one day, what does the first step look like?  I’ll be your cheering section.  I know there are others who would love nothing more than to cheer you on as well.

So, here’s your new question:   “What do you want to be, now that you're all grown up?"