The Dreamer in Me

I have been a dreamer all my life.  When I was a child, my favorite book was called Me and My Flying Machine by Mercer Mayer.  It was the story of a boy who went into a barn and built a plane out of old scrap wood and bushel barrels.  This winged flying contraption then lifted him into adventure.  I spent many of my summer days out in the neighborhood collecting scrap wood to build my own mode of transportation from which to explore the world.  I was smart enough to know I would not be able to fly, but that did not stop me from constructing go-carts which would take me down the road and into adventure.  

As I got older, and wood got harder to find, I began to entertain other dreams.  I dreamed of things like walking the Inca Trail, hiking with my son on the Wonderland Trail, Kayaking with the whales off the Johnston Straight, and going on pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago.  I have been a lucky man.  These dreams and many more have come true.  In fact, I have been so very fortunate in seeing my dream become reality that my wife now gets a little worried when I begin talking about something which seems a bit outlandish.  Where the wives of other men might just let the idea hang in the air, knowing in just a few days it will probably be forgotten, Tammie knows if I start dreaming about something, there is a good chance it is going to happen.   

This can disturb her at times.  I see her get particularly unsettled when I talk about living in a house that is only 500 to 700 square feet.  She also gets a bit anxious when I tell her by the time we retire, I only want us to own what will fit in two backpacks. She has not yet adopted these dreams as her own, but I keep trying to win her over.

Before you get too worried about Tammie, if you know her, you also know she is no pushover and will not be cajoled into doing something she does not want to do.  The fact she possesses this strength is probably why she is free to allow me to dream.  She knows I will not move forward unless she is all in.  This is because one of my biggest dreams was to marry someone just like Tammie, and all other dreams play second fiddle to her.

Recently, I have had a new set of dreams being birthed within me.  They have not come out of children’s books, or hiking magazines, but out of a deep desire to see what I read in scripture lived out.  They might seem like the stuff of fairy tales because they may be seen as coming from a far away Kingdom.  This realm, however, is not one which existed in some distant land or long forgotten memory.  It is not a place relegated to a future hope.  It is a kingdom which is available and present now.  This fact excites me.  Knowing, at this very moment, we have the capacity to enter its dominion and live as its citizen inspires me.  The journey there is a far better than any of my old go-carts could ever deliver.  When I dream of what it would be to live in this present kingdom:

• I dream of a place where it's people who are known by their love and humility.
• I dream of a community where unity is not built on conformity, but on love.
• I dream of living alongside those who understand what it is to forgo being served, in order to serve.
• I dream of a gathering of people where selfish ambition is be supplanted by selfless love.
• I dream of a place where people exercise their freedom in choosing to sacrifice for their brothers and sisters rather than indulge their own desires.
• I dream of a group of people who do not cut others down, but build them up.
• I dream of being part of a people who are so rooted and grounded in their identity, as dearly loved children of God, when they are wronged that they have the capacity to turn the other cheek and bless those who curse them.
• I dream of a place where love covers a multitude of sins.
• I dream of a place where people have enough understanding of the human heart to know when people behave poorly it is often a symptom of a deep wound which they carry with them, and rather than simply trying to correct the behavior, they recognize God’s invitation to partner with Him in healing the heart.
• I dream of a group of people who understand the issue is not what we eat or how we celebrate, but of righteousness, peace and joy.
• I dream of a place where anger, slander, malice and bitterness are put off and repentance, forgiveness, reconciliation and restoration win the day.
• I dream of a community where all who enter find love, acceptance and peace.
• And I dream of a place where perfect love cast out fear, and trust is ever present.

I could go on and on, but I think you get the picture.  At least I hope you do, because I have been imagining just such a place, filled with just such people for quite some time, and I am hoping there are others who have been dreaming of the same things.

Every dream I have ever had which has materialized, whether it was building a go-cart out of scrap wood or walking 500 miles, did so because at some point I had enough belief it could actually happen that I started to live as if it would.  I think the same is true with these dreams.  They way they will become reality is if we simply start living as if they are not only possible, but can and will actually happen.  

I also know seeing these dreams come true is going to cost, not just time and effort, but my own desires, comfort, feelings of security, and at times my own sense of what is fair.  I believe, however, it will be worth whatever price is exacted, for what ever is lost, is sure to be gained in a good measure, pressed down and overflowing.  I believe it, but I also have to pray, "Lord, help my unbelief" because at times, in the short term, living like this seems to cost more than what is gained.

Then again, attaining any dream requires a season where you walk in the hope of what could be, rather than what you see.  Would you dare to hope?  Can you dream of what it would it be to be part of a community of people who lived out these dreams?  I can, and often do. I imagine it would be powerful and life giving.  I know it would be healing.  It would be full of peace, joy and love.  It would also be filled with abundance, beauty and freedom. In short, it would be heaven on earth, a dream come true, and because I have a thing for seeing dreams become reality, I intend on living as if they will.

I hope you do too!