Making Dreams Come True

Sorry for my blogging hiatus. The holidays are here and I went home for a week to see my family...enjoy good food...spend time with old friends... and tell a million people who haven't seen me for a while about my plans for the future- everyone's favorite topic for a graduating college senior. We get these types of questions all the time don't we?


What are your plans? What are your hopes? What are your dreams?


What a loaded question. Or an exciting question, depending on your perspective. For most people in my circle, it is simply exciting. As I have grown up, I have constantly been challenged to dream big. To pursue my passions. A wall in my high school was dedicated to the quote "shoot for the moon...even if you miss...you'll land among the stars." From a very young age, I was told that I could be anything I wanted to be. That if I set my mind to it, I could do anything that I wanted.


As I've gotten older, I've realized, as many of us have, that some of this thinking is a bit unrealistic. As much as I wanted to be a jockey when I was younger, I had to come to the sad realization that I am simply too tall. Sigh. But even then...there are not many things I am striving for that I consider to be impossible.


...Because really- my opportunities are endless. I have so many options, so many paths I could take. I can become a professional. I can move to California. I can get married. I can get a job overseas. I can apply for internships. I can backpack around Europe. I can go back to grad school. I can move home if I need too. I can go be an au pair in Spain. I can save for a new car. I can be a missionary. Yes, some of these things may not work out exactly the way I want, there are certainly outside factors to consider. But they are dreams. They are not unrealistic. I have dreams that could very easily become realities. I have friends who have dreams to become doctors, nurses, pastors, journalists, musicians, teachers...its endless. Many of them are pursuing those dreams or have begun to live them. I love it. I love seeing what God is doing in their lives, how He is going to use them. I love recognizing the dreams and passions He has given me in my own life, and I love pursuing them and watching God work.


But lately...something has struck me. It's a very simple thought, really, a thought I can't fully dissect- but one I want to share with you all.


I take for granted the fact that I can dream the kind of dreams I dream. What does the rest of the world dream about?


There are women in India who dream of being free from forced prostitution and sexual slavery.
There are orphans in Uganda who dream of having just one person who loves them and will care for them.
There are street boys in Sudan who dream of having a place to sleep at night.
There are children in Haiti who dream of getting an education, but instead have been tricked into slavery- and a life of abuse and exhaustion.


There are people around the world who dream of clean water. basic healthcare. education. safety. clothing. a full meal. a source of income. a community free of war.


Many of them never get the opportunity to dream of the things I dream about. People dream of the basic necessities. They dream of surviving. Of being able to take care of their children. Of living to see tomorrow.


We dream of falling in love, having a wedding, traveling the world, buying a house, and reaching our career goals.


I'm not saying these are bad dreams to have.


But let's be thankful that we even have the opportunity to dream these dreams. And lets remember the dreams that people around the world are fighting for, are hoping for, are dying for. Let's be an active part in making dreams come true.

Sometimes God will require you to first be faithful to that which pertains to another man. It has been said that, “Whatever you make happen for other people, God will make happen for you.” Until you help someone facilitate their dream, you have no right to expect yours to come to pass. There’s something you learn from helping other people with their dreams that prepares you for your own.