A teacher of mine once said,
“If you have a dream, and it’s not bigger than yourself, then it’s not from God.”
As I saw Zebedee running his adorable toddler-run towards me, I jumped in front of two people in line to reach Zeb faster. I was impatient for his little hands to wrap themselves around me, and as soon as I got up front, my excitement wained as I looked at the two people I budged in line. Dreams often start off with the excitement of something new. But there are times when I need to slow down, walk, and look around me.
As a little child, I used to dream that Heaven was made up of Kit Kats. My Dad knew of my enjoyment for Kit Kats, too, and one time for my birthday, he gifted me six Kit Kats. Six! As a little girl, I was in heaven at that moment. My dream of Heaven now as an adult has expanded. For the past ten years, I’ve dreamt about adoption. Though my emotions towards it have drastically shifted throughout the years, I’m currently in the process of adopting a baby. Perhaps there will still be Kit Kats, but there will also be people of every tribe and nation who are welcome into our home.
Dreaming brings us hope. The psalmist, David, wrote:
Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.
Psalm 37:4-6
The question is: how do we know whether a desire is from God and not from ourselves?
A dream may not always be immediately satisfying like it is when I am eating chocolate. For example, Peter had a vision put on his heart from God that he couldn’t get on board with right away. In Acts 10, Peter was really hungry, and while a meal was being prepared, he fell asleep. This is where God gives him a vision: A vision of a large sheet being let down by Heaven, and on that sheet contained all kinds of four-footed animals. Then, God told him to get up and eat! As a Jewish man who followed certain laws of what he could and could not eat, Peter responded with:
Surely not, Lord!
Acts 10:14
The ironic part is that Peter was super hungry! Yet, even though God said it was okay to eat any four-footed animal, Peter was only used to what he knew. God knew it would take a man named Cornelius – a man who was respected by Jews -inviting Peter into his home to eat with the Gentiles, as well as giving him the vision of the sheet with animals on it three times, until Peter understood that Gentiles and Jews could not only be at the same table, but eat at the same table.
The difference between my desires and God’s desires are often emotions. If I can go through a storm of emotions, and still have a desire to move forward without trying to pull up my bootstraps and be superwoman, then it’s most likely from God. Even though the struggle is real, God’s peace is supernatural.
Every great dream begins with a dreamer.
Harriet Tubman
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