DARE TO DREAM!

It takes courage to dream! Dreaming can be painful! Have you ever tried to launch out to fulfill a dream, only to feel as if you had fallen flat on your face?
What about sharing your dream? Have you ever tried to share your dream with family, friends, co-workers etc and heard something to the effect of: "That's just not reality!", "You are just a dreamer!", "That is just not practical!" On and on it goes.... have you ever had cold water thrown on your fire? What did you do about it?
How about fear: Have you ever thought of launching out into your dreams only to be paralyzed by fear? There are some serious giants in the land of dreams! Have you ever stood face to face with such a giant? It can be a real diaper changing moment, you know!
I once heard it said that "Fear Not" does not mean that you will not shake, tremble or sweat, it just means that fear should not keep you from your destiny. David probably felt fear as he stood before the massive Giant Goliath, but he did not allow fear to keep him from his destiny! He knew Who had his back! Conquering Golaith was the gateway to David's dream of becoming a king!
It takes courage to dream! There is fear to overcome, failure to face, naysayers to ignore... When you are a dreamer you are constantly in over your head. That, my friend, is always scary. But to not dream, not risk, not believe, not trust and not obey is a greater agony than fear and failure! Sometimes, you just have to jump out of the boat! It takes courage to overcome all obstacles and dare to dream!
I once saw a strange image, relating to the subject of fear, that has had great impact on me over the years. As we venture on this journey together, allow yourself the freedom to imagine and be childlike, it will go a long way in helping you become a dreamer. Remember, the mind was never meant to be master over the heart. :-)
Some years ago, I saw an image of me standing on a path in the thick of the woods. There were some monkey-like creatures overhead up in the trees. They were heckling me. Weird? I know! Stay with me. All I know is it felt real and they were annoying! I wanted to leave, yet I did not want to go backward. I was motivated to go forward. That is until fear gripped me. I opened my eyes, argued, and refused to go forward. It seemed very real, even though it was just a picture in my mind.
As I closed my eyes again, I was face to face with this enormously giant eye! That's right, an eyeball! Strange, I know. The eye was so massive that it consumed my view up ahead. All I could see was this eye - no head, no shoulders, no body... just this massive eyeball! My mind immediately kicked into reason, as my imagination tried to picture what kind of body must be connected to this massive eye! Bigger than I wanted to imagine, that is for sure.
I knew if I wanted breakthrough I was going to have to brave this thing and go forward. I would love to be able to tell you that I just went along with the image and strolled forward into wonder-wonder land, but I'd be lying if I did. No! It felt so real, and I was so terrified, that I opened my eyes and tried to erase this image from my mind. I actually argued adamantly with my brother when he lovingly tried to encourage me to allow myself to go there. NOPE! I AM NOT GOING THERE!!!
This strange image would not leave my mind for months. I became so annoyed by the nagging persistence of it, that I finally found enough courage to continue the journey. One day, while alone, I allowed myself to picture this massive eyeball one more time. As I closed my eyes, I caught a glimpse of the body - yikes! It looked like an enormous dragon! Stay with me - remember, childlike... The fear that gripped me was paralyzing. I wanted to open my eyes and move on, but I recalled the months of torment that followed the last time I tried to bury this image. I was determined to brave this thing and move forward. Somehow this seemed to be related to my dreams and destiny, though I did not understand how or why. Regardless, I determined to face this thing head on.
As I braved the path ahead, getting closer and closer to this massive eyeball, I could see more of the enormous dragon before me. It consumed my view. Knowing I was going to die as soon as this massive creature noticed me, I faced the fear and ventured onward. As I came close to the eye, the path dipped immediately beneath the figure before me. It felt like a roller coaster where it appears you are going to run into a wall only to rapidly dip beneath. Before I knew it I was below this dragon-like creature, safe, on a wide open path that came out to an open field. I opened my eyes in relief, consumed by peace and overcome with the hope of what lies ahead.
What was this about? I do not fully know, however, the impact it had within me sticks with me to this day, some 10+ years later. From the time I was a child, fear has had a hold on me. Following this strange image that took place in my imagination, fear no longer paralyzed me. The deception of fear was exposed!
Truth is, fear is mostly just a silly image in our heads that lies to us in order to keep us from our dreams and destiny. Once we face the "Dragon" head on, we find that it is only a facade. While it feels so real, it is merely an illusive image that has no hold on us.
To reach our destiny, and fulfill the dreams God has placed in our heart, it will take courage to overcome fear! Giants will have to be overcome for us to get to our promise land! Once we have the courage to face our fears we will see that God has made a way where there once seemed to be no way.
The enemy comes to discourage, disappoint, and depress. Discourage = to disengage from courage; Disappoint = to disengage from appointment; Depress = to press down. Conquer fear and doubt and be encouraged = endued with courage, be re appointed to your dreams and destiny, and un press the Godly passions of your heart that are longing to be heard.
Dare to Dream!
Once the lies of the enemy are exposed, we now have the courage to dream and the determination to not allow any naysayers or fear to keep us from our destiny.
Remember, it takes courage to dream. You have what it takes!
Enjoy The Journey!
Bart