Sometimes a song or two, a TV series, a movie, sometimes a speech by a politician or a very ‘famous’ person; can change history. Reflecting on this, and looking forward to Oscar night tomorrow, the Allan Border Medal, and the Labor leadership showdown between Julia Gillard and Kevin Rudd; Monday will be a very significant day. Decisions made on that day will impact Australia, and perhaps the world, in a way that I may not expect.
A very famous man who challenged the societal norm was Martin Luther King Jr, who fiercely campaigned for the equality of all Americans, irregardless of their race, colour or creed. So famous that his speech ‘I Have a Dream’ is one of the most famously quoted speeches of all time. Martin Luther King Jr had the courage to dream, and to challenge what was readily accepted the society at that time. He had a dream, and even though he wasn’t able to see it with his own eyes to completion (because racism is still occurring in America, and around the world in its shapes and forms), he still dared to dream, and knew that if he believed, and with hard work, that even if he couldn’t see it done in his lifetime, that at least he tried.
Everything starts with a dream, an idea; that is birthed into someone. It is in you and me at this very moment. And has been since the day we were born, and since the Lord placed this dream in our hearts. But sometimes it can be just that. A dream, some untapped potential deep inside; that is yearning and breaking to come out. But sometimes, regardless of the circumstance, it is squashed down; and we live each mundane day, wishing for something more. We look at the people around us, and those with success, we wish for ourselves.
You know why everyone loves a great reality TV singing show, like ‘The Voice’, ‘Idol’, ‘The X Factor’ or ‘______ Got Talent’? Yes, we do like the tantrums and the drama, but ultimately, we love the rise and triumph of the underdog, the rolling of the story of development, fulfilling of dreams, and inspiration, from start to finish. We laugh and cry and the sight of our favourites exiting or ascending up the ladder before the final. We applaud and pray, watch with intent. And at the end of the day, we hope, and pray, that what happened to them, will ultimately happen to us.
We all have dreams. And sometimes, dreams can be just that, dreams that were not acted upon. Either from the lack of motivation from our part or from outside influences that we can’t control. But regardless, God is beckoning for our dreams to become reality, if we truly seek after the Lord’s heart and will for us. He doesn’t want us to live a life where we have regrets, where we look back after 20 years and say ‘If only I did this, or that; and then I would have a happy life.’
Our dreams, when acted upon, can change everything. It happened to everyone that was famous. U2, Mark Zuckerberg, Newsboys, Adam Gilchrist, Chris Tomlin, the creators of LOST, Third Day, Kiefer Sutherland, Amy Adams. These are the few of the many people whose lives have turned upside down because of the success that has been placed before them. But once someone is famous, and I’m sure, everyone will be, if not to the world than to the world that we live in; everything that comes with it shouldn’t faze us. We should know what our purpose in this life is. Our purpose should be is: because of what Christ has done for us, what Jesus sacrificed in the cross for all humanity, it is out of His mercy we understand what has happened. Once we fully grasp this, and really understand it, it is our purpose to sing glory and praise to God, and to tell everyone that will listen about what the Lord has done in us.
To put it simply, by sharing what is at the heart of the Passion Movement, headed by pastor Louie Giglio in Atlanta, Georgia: Yes, LORD, walking in the way of your laws, we wait for you; your name and renown are the desire of our hearts. (Isaiah 26:8); we know that yes, we have our dreams, and our passions, and we want to be the next Gilchrist, Bono, or Zuckerberg; but we mustn’t make our passions our purpose. Because at the end of day; everything will come to an end. In his letter to the Philippians, Paul delves into the fact that “…as far as a person can be righteous by obeying the commands of the Law, I was without fault. But all those things that I might count as profit I now reckon as loss for Christ’s sake. Not only those things; I reckon everything as complete loss for the sake of what is so much more valuable, the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have thrown everything away; I consider it all as mere garbage, so that I may gain Christ and be completely united with him…” (Philippians 3:6-9).
We are all running the race of life. We can either be like Paul- focused on eternal glory and have our perspective guided by the Holy Spirit; or we can be like those who ‘argue’ with each other, about technology, the environment, issues that will fade away in the end. Nothing can substitute a relationship. Nothing. Not even houses, buildings, computers, or TV shows or powerful sermons. They can enlighten, but when it comes down to it, our passions and dreams cannot get in the way of our relationships, between fellow man and God.
As I finish this, think about this. Are there any dreams that you have, that haven’t come to pass as of yet. Share about it, with your family and friends, pray, and ask the Lord to show you what to do with those yearnings in your heart. Sometimes a dream is all it takes for the world to change and for you to be a history maker.
Til next blog post,
Jon.
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