Dearly Beloved, we are gathered here to say our good-byes to the Dreamer. She lit up every room she walked into and inspired others to be their best selves. The Dreamer saw things that others were unable to fathom and spurred people on to make those dreams a reality. She kept her head in the clouds but her feet down on the earth. The Dreamer will be sorely missed, it truly is a loss for us all. Dreamer, we love you, we’re sad you had to go so soon.

Recently I decided to work from home (thank God for the internet and the cloud) and chose to listen to some podcasts while I did data-entry. I listened to Mark Batterson’s series called “Chase the Lion”, you can listen to it here. In the sermon he asked the important question:

“What’s the biggest, scariest dream you can think of?”

I smiled and nodded and kept listening. He continued talking and I continued listening as if I were a spectator and not a participant. Then it hit me. I paused the podcast.

I had lost my dream.

He went on to ask “If you knew that you would fail, what dream would you still go after?”

I had no response.

As I sat there, I realized that I could no longer see beyond what I was currently doing. Before I could see a future and plans and adventure and excitement, but that had all been replaced by a gray haze in front of me. I’ve created business proposals and vision boards and plans for my future, but in that moment I couldn’t remember any of them. The passion I once held for the future had been replaced by an apathetic tolerance of the present.

The comfortable had killed the dream.

As I contemplated this harsh reality, the subtly sweet voice of blame started creeping in. I began to point fingers at my job, my boss, the people around me, and even God. I thought if they had just ___________, then I would’ve been able to ________. This was my futile attempt at shifting the blame around. I tried to free myself of culpability, when in reality the responsibility was only mine to bear.

I wonder how many of us share these same feelings. I wonder how many would raise their hands and say “yes, life has killed the dream I once dreamed”. I think there are too many whose stories sound like this one. But, I don’t believe it has to be that way. If you are reading this post, then it means that it’s not too late for you. It’s not too late for me either.

If there’s a dream inside of you that’s died, don’t fear or worry, don’t give up on yourself or God or others. You can remain confident because God is the God of resurrection and he can bring life into your dreams again, even if they’ve laid dormant for years. Come to him, dream in hand, and ready for a miracle.

If you have a dream, even a vague idea of one, I’m so happy for you and would love to hear all about it!

If you don’t have a dream, answer this: what are you passionate about? What brings you joy? Or what makes you mad? Is there a group of people you want to help or a cause that you want to champion? Is there something that you long to do above all else?

Now, here’s the big question: What’s one thing you can do this week to take a step toward that dream? This should be a small, manageable step. This is something that you can add to your to-do list and be able to check it off in a few days. Now, take it one step further and tell someone about it. Share this post or what your dream is with someone, tell them your goal, and then ask them to help keep you accountable. Who knows, maybe they too have a dream that they would like to pursue.

Let’s not let the lure and comfort of the comfortable lull us to sleep but awaken the dreamer inside and encourage the others to do the same. Let’s live the life of dreamers and work toward building a bright and fulfilled future.