Controlling Your Dreams


July 17, 2010

It’s only been a few hours now since I watched the movie “Inception” which leaves me with all kinds of wild thoughts of dreams, subconscious, and the power of our minds. There were so many enjoyable parts of the movie. From the wonderful acting, excellent camera work, compelling plot line, and deep levels of questions that don’t always get answered, it places itself on a different level than most films being put out. And it does it with finesse. But it also has me thinking about our life dreams.

Our intensely powerful minds have the capability of thinking of things that are not yet and imagining what it would be like if they were. You can dream of all kinds of things happening in your life or in your world that aren’t that way yet. It’s what spurs on the artist to paint on a blank canvas. It’s what motivates the social activist to fight for their cause. We see what is in front of us and then begin to bend and twist it and see what it would look like in a different way.

But there’s something I’ve noticed about many youth today that has me pretty concerned. Maybe it’s because we’re more realists. Maybe it’s because we’ve been hurt one too many times. But there is something that has caused many to quit dreaming. We sleepwalk through life but go through moments more like projections of someone’s imagination than controllers of our own dreams. And this has robbed us of some of the glorious wonder of life as we know it.

When was the last time you thought about what you would love to see your life amount to? Beyond just good, can you think of details of what a good life for you really means? Have you ever or recently prayed about what God wants to do in and through your life? When was the last time you took those things that move your heart in life and allow them to blossom into life-directing dreams? What’s keeping you from pursuing something greater?

Don’t let your past hold you back. Don’t let regrets tie your hands. Don’t let your mind become so calloused by ordinary life that you never allow yourself to dream of what extraordinary things God could be wanting to do through you.

The future waits expectantly for those who believe in the possibility of their dreams. So close your eyes and wait. You might find yourself in the middle of a dream not knowing exactly how you got there, but then what will you do? Will you reinvent the world around you in fresh, beautiful, and God-honoring ways or be satisfied with dreamless living? As long as your feet rest on this ground may your mind soar towards heaven and your hands fight to pull them closer.