Expectation

One downside to being a dreamer is that when life doesn't match up with my dreams, I can end up disappointed. I build something up in my head, and it's just never the same seeing it play out in the real world. On the flip side, planning things and dreaming dreams helps me to pinpoint what I want. And if it doesn't work out... well, at least I've had the joy of living it in my dreams!

My now-healthy attitude toward my dreams is not one that everyone shares. Some people don't realize how dangerous it can be to focus on your dreams and not the dream-maker and -fulfiller: God! As one example, look at the people who crucified Christ. In this Easter season, I'm struck again by how differently people back then viewed Jesus and his death. Back then, Jesus was a guy whose only credentials included a carpentry background and a borderline scandalous birth. He wasn't from a great part of the country. As one man said, "Can anything good come from there?" (John 1:46). He did miracles, sure, but that must have been rather off-putting as well. What if someone challenged everything you believed about your religion (and everything your family had believed for thousands of years) and then healed a blind man? I'd be scared out of my mind! Power up close is scary, and when it comes from a man who speaks against some of the most common and cherished practices of my religion... anyway, Jesus was just NOT what people expected. He was not a king, he was not a typical religious leader, he did not walk around with a halo and a perpetual spotlight. His clothes got dirty and he cried. He probably smelled bad sometimes. And then he died. I can picture the despair. I can picture people wincing as they felt that nasty little twisting inside that you feel when your hopes are crushed. They thought... just maybe... that he actually was the Christ. But then he died. And now they were left with all of the "I told you so"s and the misery of knowing that there was nothing to say to disprove them.

We know that Christ did rise. But until Easter, no one knew he would. I guess that's where faith comes in. If you look at the dreams in your life and think they're dead... well, do you trust God to come through or not? Things might not be the way you pictured, but let me say this. For those who love him, God makes ALL things work out for the best. So either your dead dreams aren't as good as what's coming, or they're not dead! Or maybe they're just dead temporarily :) Be encouraged and expect the best.