When Your ‘Dreams’ Are Just Not Realistic
3 indicators you need to refocus your ambition.
January 25, 2016
Jonathan Malm helps people uncover creative options for their life and their church. He’s the author of Created for More, a 30-day devotional to help you develop a more creative mind. You’ll find him ... Read More
I
have a friend who’s a tragic dreamer. He’s constantly flitting between
obsessions. One month he wants to open a bar, the next he wants to be a
male model. With each new obsession, I hear about how it’s his greatest
dream. And with each new obsession, he invests a ton of money.
Unfortunately, these dreams never turn out to be lucrative. Worse, he has a family that suffers each time he pursues his half-baked schemes.
We all know someone like that. And I think the temptation is to worry that our dreams might be as silly as that guy’s. I know I’ve worried about that. I have dreams, and I know that’s good. But what if my dreams are silly? What if they’re turning me into that guy?
How do you know when it’s time to walk away from a dream? If the dream changes each month, it isn’t as scary to walk away from one and embrace another. But if you’ve devoted time, money and emotional energy into a certain dream, it can feel like a death in the family to give it up.
How do you know when it’s time to move on?
Obviously a decision as big as this needs loads of prayer. Only God can give you the green light to walk away from a dream. But I see three scenarios that might indicate it’s time.
As much as I admire his ability to do something like that, if I were
to try it I’d become depressed. I couldn’t handle the gut wrench that
comes along with firing people. It’s against my nature. I’m a gentle,
empathetic soul. I don’t know that I’d be able to separate my emotions
from those of the person I’m firing.
So if I had a dream to become the next Ryan Bingham (Clooney’s character), I should probably walk away.
A great dream should tap into the core of who you are. If it doesn’t line up with that, it’s probably a sign it’s not the right dream for you.
I believe we have no business pursuing our dreams if they conflict with God-given ones.
There are three things that are necessary to find out if God gave you the dream. A dream from God will:
1. Ultimately bring glory to God.
2. Bless and benefit others.
3. Seem bigger than what you can handle on your own.
If your dream doesn’t fall into those categories and it’s causing you to neglect a dream that is from God, it’s definitely time to walk away. There are better and bigger dreams to pursue.
In Genesis 15, Abraham was given a dream that he and his wife would have a son. Abraham’s offspring were supposed to bless and benefit others. But the dream seemed impossible, because Sarah was growing old and hadn’t had any children yet.
Time was ticking away, and the dream wasn’t getting any closer to being fulfilled. So Abraham and his wife had the opportunity to compromise. While, technically, Abraham could impregnate another woman and have sort of surrogate pregnancy, it wasn’t the dream God had given them. It was the easy way out.
Unfortunately, these dreams never turn out to be lucrative. Worse, he has a family that suffers each time he pursues his half-baked schemes.
We all know someone like that. And I think the temptation is to worry that our dreams might be as silly as that guy’s. I know I’ve worried about that. I have dreams, and I know that’s good. But what if my dreams are silly? What if they’re turning me into that guy?
How do you know when it’s time to walk away from a dream? If the dream changes each month, it isn’t as scary to walk away from one and embrace another. But if you’ve devoted time, money and emotional energy into a certain dream, it can feel like a death in the family to give it up.
How do you know when it’s time to move on?
Obviously a decision as big as this needs loads of prayer. Only God can give you the green light to walk away from a dream. But I see three scenarios that might indicate it’s time.
When It Goes Against Your Nature
I love George Clooney’s character in the movie Up in the Air. He’s a confident, ruthless operator who has made it his job to fire people. He’s surgical in his approach. It’s the exact opposite of who I am.
Walk away from one dream and discover the dream God has for you—one greater than you could possibly imagine.
So if I had a dream to become the next Ryan Bingham (Clooney’s character), I should probably walk away.
A great dream should tap into the core of who you are. If it doesn’t line up with that, it’s probably a sign it’s not the right dream for you.
When It Causes You to Neglect a Dream From God
Part of what makes my dreamer friend such a piteous character is that he’s neglecting the responsibility of his family. A long time ago, God gave him a dream to be a husband and father that provides. But now, his secondary dreams are often causing him to neglect the primary one—a dream directly from God.I believe we have no business pursuing our dreams if they conflict with God-given ones.
There are three things that are necessary to find out if God gave you the dream. A dream from God will:
1. Ultimately bring glory to God.
2. Bless and benefit others.
3. Seem bigger than what you can handle on your own.
If your dream doesn’t fall into those categories and it’s causing you to neglect a dream that is from God, it’s definitely time to walk away. There are better and bigger dreams to pursue.
When You Have to Compromise Your Beliefs to Make It Happen
Finally, a dream worth pursuing shouldn’t require compromising your morals. We see an example of this in the life of Abraham.In Genesis 15, Abraham was given a dream that he and his wife would have a son. Abraham’s offspring were supposed to bless and benefit others. But the dream seemed impossible, because Sarah was growing old and hadn’t had any children yet.
Time was ticking away, and the dream wasn’t getting any closer to being fulfilled. So Abraham and his wife had the opportunity to compromise. While, technically, Abraham could impregnate another woman and have sort of surrogate pregnancy, it wasn’t the dream God had given them. It was the easy way out.
Read more at http://www.relevantmagazine.com/life/maker/when-walk-away-your-dream#ZmtcEhipR7hQ1sL8.99
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