Dream Giver, Dream Chaser. This is free, a sort of motivation in life, your deepest hope, a wish, a prayer. Dictionary defined this word as imaginary events seen in mind while sleeping. But then, this denotative meaning is not in our scope of context today.
What we’re going to confer is not about imaginary events nor do these things happen while sleeping. These things can and will happen in reality. Want to know what this big word is? Dreams. A noun and a verb everyone has, a fuel for the engine of life, our deepest why.
When I was young, I’m always dreaming big dreams. My mind was so excited that I’m not even thinking about how those dreams will cost me and not even worrying how hard to get there. Let me explain myself, I’m just a little kid that time and I don’t have any idea. All I know is that I’m having dreams and I have this faith in my heart that I can go to those dreams no matter what it takes. But as my age adds up, knowledge continuously adds in my mind and influences my whole life, the reality of life turned my dream into a very hard equation that neither Sir Albert Einstein nor any math wizard in this world cannot make their own formula to get the answer -- the situations were not going on the path that leads me to my dreams.
I belong to a family which survival in a day is really a blessing. With that, my father did some sidelines (like carpentry works) just to send four kids to school and to finance my mom who was sick that time. Those hard situations inspired me to do everything well. “I want to take them out of this kind of life. So help me, Dad,” I told God.
For a girl who belongs to a not-so-middle-class kind of family, graduating in high school with honors is such an achievement and another step towards achieving my dreams. But less than two months before my high school graduation, my mom died. My mom who is one of the why’s of my dreams has now gone. I became really affected that I didn’t even know how to go on with this life.
Discouragements, pain, and frustrations didn’t end there. I took up the course that I didn’t even plan to take, went to a university that I didn’t even plan to go. I’ve experienced betrayals and abuses for so many times - from those people I really considered as friend and family.
I know and it’s clear to me that my dream is from God. But when things like these are happening, I’m starting to do some weird math. I easily see or hear things and add them up incorrectly. Those somewhat factual but simply aren’t true things multiply to the doubts, worries and fears in my life. Doubt if it is really from God, worry if I am really destined for it, and fear for so many things. Because of this weird math that I’ve made, I forgot millions of God’s promises that He stated to me through His word. When I was drowned and given myself to those things, I decided to end up my dreams and started surviving my life in a small world of negativity and hopelessness – a world of surviving and existing but not of living.
At first, I enjoyed surviving my life without dreams because for me, it’s stress-and-worry-free, doubt-and-fear-free. The simple reason is that I don’t have anything to think about. But time passed by and I got tired in enduring the world of surviving. That’s the time that I encountered Daddy God -– the Giver and Chaser of my dreams. He reminded me about this verse that I’ve been hearing for a long time and for so many times but honestly, I just understand this verse that moment when I realized that God is personally promising this to me:
He said, “My princess, I know what I am doing. You know, ever since you were born and even thousand years ago, I have it all planned out – even other people left and abandon you, I have plans to take care of you, not abandon you, even when situations are killing your hopes, I have plans to give you the future you hope for. I’m willing to give those dreams to you, are you willing to take it?”
(Jeremiah 29:11, paraphrased as to how He talked to me personally)
I argued to Him, I stated all of my complaints. I told Him about all the negative things I have experienced as if He didn’t know everything about those. I asked why. I asked how this dream will happen after everything that happened. But He comforted me with these words,
“My child, have you forgotten? My ways and thoughts are higher and far better than yours. There’s no chance at all if you think you can pull it off yourself. You have unlimited chances if you will trust Me to do it. I am the God of your yesterday, your today and your future. You don’t have to worry about your future because I’m already there. Believe me.”
(Isaiah 55:9, Matthew 19:26 paraphrased as to how He talked to me personally)
Maybe you experienced the same or maybe not, but the thing is: we both have God-given dreams that He has placed in our hearts ever since we came to this world. And one of the truths in this world is: the road that leads to the accomplishment of our dreams is not as easy and as good-looking as our dream. Yet we have to take it anyway for God promised that He will be the Giver and the Chaser of our dreams. The difficult seasons that we’re experiencing today were nothing compare to the great things prepared for us after overcoming those.
Trust the process.
Trust God in the process.
-The Author -
Dorothy is a personal friend of mine and we share the same ministry in music and worship leading. She was also featured in the
Young People's Ministry website as a devotional writer. To further check her work ,
click this.
Get to know Dorothy more with some random things about herself and on her way writing this post.
click this. If you want her to contribute on your blogs too or special writing requests, just
contact me.
"One of my inspirations as I write this post is my dream of writing a book. I know this devotional blog is one step closer onto it.... (for the readers)..When you know that God leads your heart, just go for what it desires---whatever it takes. " -Dothy.
