Why Not Dream?

Some people don’t dream.

Why?

There are perhaps many reasons, the biggest being disappointment. People don’t dream because they are afraid they will be disappointed. Maybe they have dreamed once and their dream didn’t materialize. There was disappointment . . . and they are afraid they will be disappointed again.

Disappointment is a powerful thing. It stings. It pierces the heart. The pain lingers and poisons the soul, sometimes permanently. Bitterness sets in. They say to themselves, “I will never dream again. I will not be disappointed again. It is better to dream no more. If I don’t dream, I can never be disappointed again!”

As a young man, new in the faith, I once asked God for something . . . and I didn’t get it. So, I got mad at God. I said to myself, “God disappointed me. He didn’t answer my prayer . . . so I will not ask again. I will not dream again.” I got bitter. It took a long time to move past my disappointment.

But, living without expectation is not living at all. It is existing, but not really living.

Dreams sometimes take a long time to materialize. My father labored on his farm and for the DNR for many years, making his dream of farming a terrible stretch. One thing I remember clearly about my father. He was always tired. He did not get his dream “to farm” until retirement at 63. Only then could he “just farm” and really enjoy farming. But after that he farmed at his own pace for nearly 30 years. Those 30 years he enjoyed because it was his dream, simply to farm. He loved farming.

At the age of 12, I had a dream to stand on a stage and preach to thousands and see hundreds come forward to accept Jesus as Savior. I was 49 when I actually saw that happen. When it happened, I was not the one standing on the stage preaching. I was the one who worked for months behind the scenes to make the event happen, which was really more fulfilling.

What about Edison’s dream to make an earth shattering invention, like the light bulb. Edison conducted 1000 failed experiments, before he achieved his dream . . . a light bulb that worked!

So, when we have a dream, we can’t just sit back on our laurels and wait for it to happen. We have to be proactive. We have to take the right steps to see our dream become a reality. The more obstacles we encounter along the way, the sweeter the victory when we finally see our dream materialize.

“Well, what if I have more than one dream,” you’re asking?

Many years ago, Don Wilkerson, the brother of David Wilkerson, preached a sermon about dreaming. (David Wilkerson went to New York and engaged with the street gangs, leading many of them to Christ. He also wrote The Cross And The Switchblade.) His message was directed at young people, teenagers, and he told them to decide which dream was the strongest and then go after that single dream.

My good friend, Jesse Smith, experienced a severely rugged growing up period in his life. He became hooked on drugs and in his middle teens, he went to the top of the bridge that spans the harbor between Duluth, Minnesota and Superior, Wisconsin, some 150 feet about the icy water below. There, he stood looking down, trying to summon up the courage to jump and commit suicide. Just then a car drove up and stopped and a man got out.

“Are you Jesse,” he asked?

“Yeah, but I’m kinda busy, here,” Jesse replied.

“Don’t jump,” the man said. “God has plans for your life and it’s all good. Don’t jump!”

This was an angle sent from God.

Jesse didn’t jump that day. He again tackled the challenges of life and along the way developed an intense passion for dancing. He decided he wanted to be a Hip Hop dancer.

Those close to him tried to talk him out of his dream. “This is frivolous. How are you going to make a living as a dancer? You should concentrate on something “more sensible.”

Jesse refused to give up on his dream. He headed for California and there answered the call to over 100 auditions without landing a single job. But, he refused to give up on his dream. On the 103rd audition, he landed a leading part in a Pepsi Commercial, dancing with Justin Timberlake. Since that time, Jesse has danced all over the world, and his dancing opens the door to share the Gospel. We have used him in numerous School Assemblies. It is something to behold. The students are captivated by his dancing and they listen attentively as he tells them how to overcome the obstacles and challenges of life. We are pretty certain that potential suicides have been prevented by his testimony.

Some people are afraid of taking risks, and because of that they never dream because dreaming involves risk. You cannot go through life without taking risks. You may not realize it, but when you get in the car to drive somewhere you are taking a risk of being in an accident.

Taking risks is part of life. Taking risks is usually scary to some degree but taking risks can also be a high. Whenever you take a risk, you have a chance of succeeding and succeeding brings a great deal of satisfaction. It also brings confidence, that you can succeed when you take the next risk, and the next one, and the one after that. Surveys of those in retirement homes reveals that 70 percent of its residents wish they had taken more risks.

You only live once, so I encourage you to dream and then take risks as you go after your dream. I promise you, you won’t regret it!

Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us . . .

Ephesians 3:20 (ESV)

Remember: A stingy planter gets a stingy crop; a lavish planter gets a lavish crop. I want each of you to make up your own mind what you will give. That will protect you against sob stories and arm-twisting. God loves it when the giver delights in the giving.

2 Corinthians 9:7 (MSG)

Have you ever bought products from a friend who is selling tupperware, or a craft they made just to help them, not because you need the product but because you know them and want to help them? You do it out of a sense of duty.

Although this is a kind gesture it is not the kind of giving that the scripture is speaking of.

George and I hope that the message of our ministry has added substance to your life, that our messages have helped you cultivate your walk with the Lord.

Our desire is, that people like yourself, will make a financial contribution to our ministry because our ministry is valuable to you, and you believe the world needs to hear what God is speaking through our ministry.

We thank you for your support.

In His Service,

George and Lorraine Halama

Photos designed and taken by Lorraine

All Contributions Are Tax Deductible