Dreamer:
One that dreams.
- a dreamer is one who lives in a world of fancy and imagination (according to Merriam-Webster)
I’ve always thought of a dreamer more as:
- one who allows their heart the freedom to wish for things that their mind deems illogical or impractical.
Growing up I had lots of dreams, as most kids do. The dreams fluctuated and changed as the years passed, which is to be expected as a child becomes an adult.
When I was little I dreamt of flying to Neverland with Peter Pan and meeting all the Lost Boys. I also wanted to explore the ocean with Flounder and Sebastian by my side. Before I developed a fear of heights, I wished to take a magic carpet ride with Genie and Abu.
I moved on from dreaming of meeting my Disney friends and dreamt of living in a musical instead, ‘cause I thought it’d be the coolest thing for everyone to just break out into spontaneous (yet perfectly choreographed) song and dance. It changed to me being a famous singer. Then of being a dancer, because watching people tell a story by dancing was fascinating to me.
In my teen years, I began to dream of being an inspirational speaker, one who would share an encouraging message to large groups of people. Then I realized that would require me standing in front of said large groups of people and started to question whether I really wanted that dream or not…
I think back on all those dreams I had growing up and it makes me smile. Some of them were silly and only lasted for a short time, while others stuck in my heart for years. What I love though is looking back and being able to call the girl I was a Dreamer.
I think somewhere along the road of growing up, a majority of us adults start to believe that dreaming is only for little kids. We become far too busy with adulting - going to work, paying bills, etc. - to spend time dreaming. We reel our heart back in, tapering off its freedom to wish for the fantastical.
Friends, we've got to stop doing that. It’s time we let our hearts free to dream once again.
If Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Edison had never dreamt, we could still be sitting in the dark. If the Wright brothers had only stuck with thinking in the realm of practical, we probably wouldn’t have JRB’s airplane currently residing in our hangar. And what if Martin Luther King, Jr had never had a dream?
While our time as little kids has passed, our call to be Dreamers has not.
Over the past year and a half, I’ve been more intentional about paying attention to the things my heart is dreaming of. God’s been calling me to dream bigger and, to do that, I need to be aware of what I’m even dreaming of to begin with. I have to shut off my brain from trying to figure out if these dreams are even possible and just listen to what my heart is wishing for.
I’m dreaming of writing a book.
- when God first gave me this desire and dream, I've got to admit, I balked pretty hard. I didn’t think I was the right person for the job because I couldn’t imagine anyone wanting to read a whole book written by me. Plus, what on earth would I write?! Now, after much prayer and many conversations with those close to me, I’m learning to simply embrace the dream. Within the embracing, the dream is growing. Now I have ideas for multiple books bubbling inside of me… Maybe giving my heart the freedom to just dream will lead to y’all seeing a book by new author A. Blair on the shelves someday soon.
I’m dreaming of being an editor.
- this past year I was presented with an amazing opportunity to edit a dear friend’s book. I’d never done any editing before, but they enjoyed my writing so much that they asked me if I’d be interested. I was really nervous at first, but now I’m totally loving the process. The fact that I’m being paid to do one of my most favorite things (read) is a major blessing. Because of my chronic illness, I’m not able to work outside the home, so it’s a total God-kiss to be able to contribute financially in this way. I’ve found that I enjoy editing so much, that my heart now wishes for more books to come my way.
I’m dreaming of becoming a mom.
- the wording of this dream is pretty important. All my life I’ve dreamt of being a mom, but now my heart is dreaming of becoming one. For me, this dream will come through the beauty of adoption. The more my brain gets involved in finding information and trying to figure out the way to make this happen, the more impossible this dream looks. I refuse to let it go, though, refuse to cut my heart off from dreaming of one day holding my own child(ren). So, while my brain’s part in all of this is important, I’m going to listen closely to my heart and keep praying over and pressing into this dream. Who knows? Maybe writing these words and sharing them with you is the step that’s needed to lead a birth mother to JRB and I, either from her reading this herself or from one of you connecting her to us. I can’t even describe to you the level of awesome that would be!
We all have dreams. We may not be aware of what all of them are yet, but we all have dreams inside of us. Each one having value and worth. No dream is inconsequential. We have no idea the future impact our dreams of the present day may have.
Maybe one of the books I'm dreaming of writing is exactly the book someone else needs to read to find the courage and hope to continue living this life. Maybe my dream of editing is the solution to us having the finances to finish building our home, relieving JRB from a financial weight. And while I don’t dream of being president, maybe the child my heart is longing for will one day hold that title.
Your dreams are important. They could lead to curing cancer or reducing pollution, making traveling easier or helping to stop bullying. Those things tend to seem impossible and maybe they are... until a Dreamer like you dreams of a way to change it.
Maybe a new definition should be created...
Dreamer:
One who changes the world
You hold dreams inside of you that the world needs you to dream. So take a break from thinking of all the logical and practical things and just let your heart wish for something fantastical.
*Image created using pablo.buffer
Go ahead, Dreamer, and dream those seemingly impossible dreams…
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