Now we are talking about something that all of us are familiar with. All of us dream—if not all the time, then at least sometimes. A dream is “a series of thoughts, images and sensations occurring in a person’s mind during sleep.” Some dreams are sweet and pleasant; others are terrifying and can cause us to break out in a cold sweat.
But when we are awake, a dream can be something we want to happen or hope will happen in the future. It is something that we pursue. From our childhood to our adolescent years, we all have had—or still have—dreams: positive aspirations we hope will come true. We sometimes wonder why we have the dreams we do. In most cases, our dreams fall into our own hands; our actions—what we do and how we do it—determine whether our dreams come true.
Dreams can take us into fantasy land, the land of make-believe. From dreams come imagination; in our imagination, we can do things and be things that we know in real life may never happen. From childhood to adulthood, I have had a strong imagination. In it, I could be whatever I wanted: a movie star, Don Juan, famous, a rock star—it was a means of escapism from the real world.
Some dream that they will never have to work; that they will own a mansion with many bedrooms; have a large swimming pool; live behind gates; pay someone to walk their dog; or be chauffeured in a limousine. In reality, however, that will likely never happen. One reason is that God knows we don’t need it. When some people get a little something, they forget where they came from. God knows He cannot trust some of us with riches; instead of using it for His glory and to bless others, we might hoard it, become selfish and build bigger barns to store what we have (Luke 12:18).
But in our imagination, we can be that and so much more. We’ve gone to bed at night with nothing on our minds, and yet we dreamt. In life, many of us start chasing a dream—a dream to become someone, to get a good education, to become an entrepreneur or to have a spouse who loves us dearly.
Community friends, there is nothing wrong with dreaming. The right kind of dream is a good thing. But I want to tell somebody this morning: your dream is in your own hands. Success in life depends entirely on you. With God on your side, if He is for you, no one can be against you (Rom. 8:31).
This is Black History Month. We celebrate the contributions of our ancestors and ourselves and the difference we have made in this country. It is a testimony to those who dreamed, pursued their dreams, and made them come true—despite setbacks, struggles, hardships, racial discrimination and mistreatment. They persevered and fulfilled their dreams. They didn’t blame the system or others for holding them back. Even though they lived in the time of segregation, they fought just to vote, to ride the bus, to get an education. They did not rely on the “because I’m Black” excuse that we sometimes hear today. My fellow African Americans, nobody can hold us back but us! Nothing can hold us back if we have a determined mind. Our ancestors proved this to us. We have a strong heritage. They make us proud today because they overcame the odds. They didn’t make excuses—they made accomplishments!
They didn’t complain about what they didn’t have; they used what they did have. They all had a dream, and they didn’t let their dream die. We can’t either. I watched the Olympics this week on television. I enjoy watching the competition of different countries. All who competed had a dream. The network told the stories of some athletes’ beginnings—from children learning in their backyards to Olympic hopefuls. It was inspiring to hear them share their journeys. Seeing infants starting out skating or training in their homes reminded us that each had a dream of one day making it to the Olympics and winning a gold medal. Some faced misfortune but persevered.
Maxim Naumov, who lost his parents last year in a plane crash in Washington, D.C., honored them by carrying a picture of them as he competed. He won the gold medal. Each athlete was determined to fulfill their lifelong dream of winning gold. They did not let their dream die. What if Christians were like that? What if our young people were like that? Stop making excuses and make accomplishments! The only person who can stop you from fulfilling your dream is you. Those African Americans in history books are there for a reason—they refused to let their dream die.
Adults and young folks alike, don’t let the dream die! Failures and mistakes don’t define you. If you’ve been knocked down, get up and try again. If you can believe it, you can achieve it. God said, “For I know the plans I have for you…plans to prosper you and not to harm you…to give you an expected end” (Jer. 29:11). Don’t let the dream die.
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