College can make it hard to be a dreamer.
Let's face it. A lot of the ideas thrown in our direction involve finding the best way to adhere to adult life. That involves picking a management major and a career path, developing contacts and connections, and learning how to live on your own and make hard choices. Many of those things are unavoidable; they are required for us to change and grow. But mostly, they're really boring.
What's the magic in that? And why do we rush through growing up to get to this place?
Perhaps, all of those things are only a means to discovering our true dreams.
Dreaming can be a challenge. Sometimes it feels unnatural to think of all the possibilities, to come up with ideas of grandiose when we don't see any way they could come true. But dreams push us, stretch us, they make us believe in better things.
As someone who believes in order, lists, and concrete plans, dreaming isn't the easiest thing for me. Sometimes I feel silly to imagine things that don't fit with my life right now, but I've discovered that it is dreams that carry me when circumstances are hard.
More importantly, I believe that it is the heart of our creator that we should have dreams. When we desire and work towards things that add to our joy, we mirror God, the most ingenious, creative, imaginative being there ever was and ever will be. It is crazy to think that all of creation came from the thoughts, desires, and dreams of the Almighty God. It is only right that we allow God to place dreams in our hearts, and trust that he will bring them to fruition if we are willing to diligently rely on him.
The Lord delights in our creativity, and when we create out of a place of worship for our creator, we fulfill such a beautiful purpose. Dreaming open doors, it challenges us to think of things outside of ourselves, and it ultimately gives highest praise to the one who we serve.
So in the midst of the temptation to be bogged down with logistics, rules, and requirements, pray for new dreams. Give yourself space to create, to wonder, and to make gloriously ridiculous plans. It's amazing what God can do when we allow him to dream with us.
