It was a brand-new day with endless possibilities. I remember like it was yesterday. I tried convincing Mama for weeks that I was old enough to wear makeup. I was, after all, a sixth grader—time to “level up”! Besides, everyone else was doing it. (Remember that argument, the one that comes back to bite us, moms?)
Despite my compelling case, Mama said, “No. The time will come soon enough. No need to rush things.” (Your mom, too, huh?) I soon realized she wasn’t budging. I had to take matters into my own hands.
That morning, Mama left for work ten minutes before I had to be at the bus stop. Finally, my chance! I raced to her makeup drawer and surveyed the dazzling treasure. So many possibilities, so little time. I grabbed the powder…or blush…or…I’m not really sure what it was. I just stroked my face as fast as that brush could fly. The mirror told me I finally looked like middle-school material. It was about time!
I rushed to the bus stop with newfound sassiness. As I arrived, my friends noticed. (I knew they would!) Surely, my transformation dazzled them, too.
The cool eighth grader took a second look. Can you believe it? I surely blushed. His reaction forever lives in my memory. He smiled and sighed, “Tangerine face!” Everyone broke into laughter, and my newfound confidence shattered. As we trekked to school, my hot tears erased the “tangerine.” Talk about a devastating morning!
The funny thing about childhood, though, is that our stumbling does not paralyze us, for the most part. Children unknowingly bask in the gift of resilience. They get knocked down but almost instinctively get back up. They just keep going! It’s what they do!
The next morning, I decided to avoid that alluring treasure. Oh, I still experimented, just not two minutes before the bus stop. I learned from my mistakes. The misstep didn’t stop me. It served as an invaluable experience to help me get it right next time.
What happened to us? We were once little people with big dreams and irrepressible spirits. We fell down, but we never stayed down. We rose from the ashes, dusted off our bruised selves, and kept going. Somehow along the way, though, we stopped getting up. We became paralyzed by the fear of stumbling, so we just stopped pursuing our aspirations altogether. What a tragedy! It’s like adulthood has become the place where dreams come to die.
What are your dreams? Has it been so long since you dreamed that you no longer remember? Maybe you have forgotten the deepest ambitions of your heart, but I promise, God hasn’t. Did you know He’s the designer of dreams? You’re here because He dreamed you. He imagined you, and He loved what He imagined.
Oh, I pray this Truth settles in your heart. This Designer of Dreams is actually the One who embedded dreams in your heart. Now, some of your dreams may not have been His plan for you. They did not bear His fingerprint. But others of them? They certainly do. Those hopes and dreams you’ve aborted? God didn’t abandon them; you did. (I did.)
Isn’t it time we resurrect some of those buried dreams? Sure, you may falter at first, but who doesn’t? Stop fearing the repercussions of stumbling more than you believe in the Designer of your dream. Use the staggering as fuel to propel you forward.
Why don’t you excavate the hopes God embedded within you? Dig up those goals from the graveyards of your life. Dust them off. Offer them back to the Dream Weaver, and then…get going! You have it in you! How do I know? Because God says you do, and He never lies!
For comments or prayer, contact Dr. Lanier at www.HopeCommunityChurch.tv.
