A Bible verse about dreams:
“Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.” Proverbs 29:18
When I first read this verse, I had no interpretation of it regarding dreams. It wasn’t until I listened to one of Steve Harvey’s motivational messages that I understood.
Mr. Harvey quotes this passage as, “A man without a dream or vision shall perish,” and that speaks to me much more.
The reason is, quite simply, because that is what much of my life entails. I have grandiose visions for what my life is going to be. How I get there remains to be seen.
My vision involves being able to provide and build a dream home for my family. We will be financially independent, and we can spend our time as we wish. My children will not lack for anything.
Furthermore, I will be able to mentor others to achieve the same success, and we will have the ability to generously donate to further God’s people and animals.
The problem is that I don’t yet know how to get there. That is why it remains a dream.
The hope is that this blog will become the vehicle for attaining that dream. Right now I am at a crossroads. I have now written consistently for several months, and I still have no indication that this blog is growing. I have not received any sign that I am on the right path.
In the past, I would have given up long prior to this point, but certainly now I would be considering it. That leaves me with two options:
Either I quit and try something else because perhaps the fact that I have had no indication that I’m on the right path is itself an indication that I’m not on the right path, or
I persevere and have faith that this is the correct path, and I just need to trust God and continue forward.
Regardless of the choice, the dream remains.
My family deserves a house. It is my responsibility to provide that. So whether that means I have to work another job, discover some profitable investments, or even sell a kidney on the black market – I have to do what needs to be done.
The thing is, even if I achieve that dream and we build a house and become financially independent, I still won’t be satisfied.
I will be grateful, and happy, and our life will be a whole lot more enjoyable, but I still will not be satisfied.
That’s because the dream will simply evolve.
Please don’t construe that as greed or selfishness. Perhaps that dream will include more outreach or volunteer work or something of that nature. I don’t know because I’m not there yet.
The point is that without a dream, there’s no further use for me to be here. I need to keep dreaming in order to keep existing. I need to strive in order to have any purpose.
In another message, Mr. Harvey says that the reason we wake up every day is to fulfill our purpose. As long as we keep waking up, God isn’t through with us yet. Perhaps that’s intertwined with this verse.
Once the vision or dream dies, we no longer have purpose. Therefore, there’s no reason for us to wake up any longer.
I’m not implying that those who pass away have served no purpose; it’s simply a metaphor for having dreams and visions. But I think it’s a good one.
For a long time now, I have been painstakingly searching for my purpose. I think that simple reality is that my purpose is to achieve my dreams. That’s your purpose too.
God gives us dreams because He wants us to achieve them. Otherwise it would be a cruel injustice to give us dreams that we are unable to accomplish. The tradeoff is that we live to worship Him with trust and faith.
That brings me back to the dilemma I’m currently facing – do I quit writing again, or do I have faith that this venture will finally bring me closer to achieving my dream?
As I mentioned, in the past I would have quit. That’s why I haven’t achieved my dream. I have entrepreneurial ADHD, or “shiny object syndrome.” I’m constantly starting new businesses or investing in different opportunities.
With each one, I’m certain that it’s the right path to find success. Until it’s not, so I quit and pursue something else.
This time, I’m going to do something different. I’m not going to quit.
Currently, there are no indications that this blog will be a success. There is no evidence that this will allow me to achieve my dreams. In spite of that, I’m going to continue writing until God definitively tells me that this is the wrong path.
Moreover, I’m going to write faithfully, trusting that God will provide what He’s promised. Perhaps it is the action of faith that I’ve been lacking – the secret ingredient. Maybe, by continuing in faith, that is the demonstration that God seeks in order to grant me what I desire.
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