Dreaming

"But having a dream is 

evidence of a person who is fully alive.

 Having a dream is a reflection of the image of God."

A Million Little Ways- Emily Freeman

I'm continuing on with a topic in Emily Freeman's book because it has stuck with me and I've found myself contemplating it a lot over the last few days. As part of uncovering our art, she talks about remembering your childhood dreams and desires. I really loved the section where she talked about dreaming and when reading the above quote, I thought, yikes ... if someone asked me to write down my dreams right now I'm not quite sure what I would write. I've been thinking about it and how I can begin more conversations with family and friends about their dreams. 

Emily talks about how her husband, John, has a friend that he meets with and always enjoys their time together because his friend listens to his dreams. Her husband says "...when he asks about my desires and dreams and takes them seriously, it means he believes I am a person worth dreaming with." This is so true and yet I rarely ask others about their desires/dreams. I think I get so caught up in the day-to-day that I forget to ask these questions. Others feel so valued and encouraged when we ask these things. John described his time with his friend as "life-giving and encouraging;" I want that to be how my time with others is described. Life-giving.

While driving the kids that I have the privilege to tutor back to their homes, I decided now is the time. Let's dream together. We began discussing what we want to be when we grow up. I heard doctor, teacher, and my personal favorite... "adult-- so he could be tall;" it felt so good to dream and encourage them to think big. Emily talks about how dreams come so easily to children because they are not afraid of critics or the impossible. She encourages us to rescue our childhood dreams because they reveal our true desires. "When we rescue the dreams of our childhood and respect the hope of things to come, we are agreeing with the Trinity: I am an image bearer. I have a job to do."

I recognize that I have not been life-giving in many cases and haven't asked or encouraged others to talk about their dreams. Or worse than that, I may have asked but didn't take them seriously. I am working on that and also working on uncovering my own dreams and desires.

"There is only one place to go when our hands are filled with dreams and desire. It's time to sink into God."