Faulty Dreams or Preparing for the Future
I have always been a day-dreamer. I remember shooting baskets in our backyard for hours, dreaming about this and that, where I was going, and what I was going to do. It was an amazing time that I loved. It was half-exercise and half contemplation. But I doubt that those dreams actually changed much in my life.
The dreams were interesting. They were colorful and exciting, and I did great and amazing things. I conquered the world. I discovered new planets. I was elected as president. Every child has dreams like this, and that’s okay—it’s only the dream of a child. But what happens when adults dream in this manner.
As a preface, don’t interpret this post as bashing dreams. I think dreams are very valid and a healthy part of life. It is good to dream of good things. But two caveats:
1) If the object of the dream becomes the dream itself, then it is no longer a good dream. For example, if I dream of getting a BMW because I want a BMW to gratify myself, it is no longer a good or helpful dream. I am substituting God’s goodness for temporal and unsatisfying pleasure.
2) Any dream that does not change my life is not a true dream. By true dream I mean that any concept which means so much to me that I dream about it, it must affect the way I live my life. If I want to buy a house, then my lifestyle in an apartment would change in a way that would help me to prepare for buying a house. I would start saving money and researching the steps necessary to buy that house. If I was unwilling to start saving or start researching, than that dream is not a “true” dream because it does not actually affect change in my life.
With these guidelines in mind, do your dreams actually qualify as valid, good dreams? Or do you waste your time daydreaming about things that provide no benefit to your life. The most poignant example of this, I think, is that of marriage. I know (and have known) lots of folks (primarily girls) who were ga-ga over the concept of getting married… (And of course, this applies to guys as well…) But what we should do is take a step back from the situation and say, “I’m not married now, so what should I do in my life to prepare for that?” You see, the dream is affecting life because it is changing the manner of living.
If I dreamed of playing in the NBA, it would be prudent of me to play basketball and prepare. I would be at the gym as soon as it was open, shooting, dribbling, passing and playing games. I can dream all I want, but it won’t take me anywhere.
I have certain goals and dreams in my life. I must constantly remind myself that these goals don’t happen overnight or intrinsically. Dreams come to fruition because of intense work that is completed right now, not tomorrow.
You see, that’s the beauty of dreams. It motivates you to prepare for the future because of the goodness and excitement you see in the dream. Now the key is to consider your dreams, watching to see if they positively influence who you are and where you are going.