Living The Dream

What was the first thing you ever dreamed of being?

            A fire fighter? 

            A ballerina?

            A soldier?

            A superhero?

            A veterinarian… or someone who makes kitties better?

I know.  You’re like the rest of us now.  You’re mature.  Mature means you don’t have silly dreams any more.  Real life is too painful, too realistic, too stressed for silly dreams.  Besides that, we have all kinds of examples of people who went off on some stupid idea and got creamed for it. 

But I know a secret.  You’re like the rest of us.  You are a closet dreamer.  You’ve never been happy with this part of the “mature” life.  I believe we’ve never really gotten away from our dreams.  That’s why we still go to movies.  We want to see silly dreams become real.

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I wonder if that’s what Jesus was getting at when He challenged the disciples, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it”?  [Mark 10:14, 15] The problem with kids is they have silly ideas.  They’re not mature.  They believe in fairies, dragons, and being superheroes.  By the way, it says God got mad at them for being so “mature.”  OK, the NIV says he got “indignant.”  That’s mad.   

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I think it makes God mad when we call His grand designs silly dreams… when He calls us to God-sized dreams and purposes, and we back down because we’re mature.  I don’t ever remember Jesus getting mad at someone trying something outlandish in the pursuit of His kingdom.  I do remember Him getting mad at people trying to get everyone to color inside the lines.  [Matthew 12]

So here’s what I would challenge you with. Go kid. Color outside the lines. Maybe even try some new colors.

And just so you can show benefit from something you’ve learned in your mature years, give yourself permission to get mature in two things.  First, go kid in response to God’s design not your own selfish desires, and second, execute – don’t just talk about it, actually put your life on the line, get disciplined, and do your design.

See you on the playground!