Hold fast to dreams
For if dreams die,
Life is a broken-winged bird
That cannot fly.
(Langston Hughes)
WE NEED TO HOLD ON DEARLY TO OUR DREAMS. Against the discouraging forces that tempt us to give up our dreams, we need to nourish them and cherish them. Certainly, we need to have the wisdom to refine our dreams and make sure they’re aligned with true principles, but if our conscience tells us our dreams are worthy of aspiring to, then we need to keep them burning brightly.
G. K. Chesterton said, “There are no rules of architecture for a castle in the clouds.” Those who are the most energized by their dreams are those who’ve permitted themselves the freedom to dream boldly. On the other hand, those who have limited their dreams to that which is “possible” tend to have little passion in their pursuits. If it could be known for certain that something was impossible, it would be foolish to try to achieve it, but in the real world, it pays to be very careful about predicting the future. Rocket scientist Wernher von Braun said, “I have learned to use the word ‘impossible’ with the greatest caution.” It was that kind of thinking that got us to the moon and back!
But speaking of caution, we should also be cautious about this: we should make sure our dreams aren’t selfish or materialistic. Greed wears many disguises, and it takes a person of extraordinary honesty to see when his dreams have slid off into covetousness. But the human heart is a powerful engine, and there are finer things for it to aspire to than the mere acquisition of more “stuff.”
Our dreams should grow as we do, and so we shouldn’t be afraid to add new dimensions to our dreams and even discover dreams that are altogether new. “The years forever fashion new dreams when old ones go. God pity a one-dream man!” (Robert Goddard). If it’s true, as the wise have always said, that we become what we aspire to, that’s an argument for dreaming jumbo-sized dreams in full, living color.
“Do you want to know what I most regret about my youth? That I didn’t dream more boldly and demand of myself more impossible things; for all one does in maturity is to carve in granite or porphyry the soap bubble one blew in youth! Oh to have dreamed harder!” (Lewis Mumford).
Gary Henry – WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com
