Life seems to be made up of dreamers and of realists. Many a dreamer has had the thought of becoming a millionaire but instead lived their life in debt. Many a realist has concluded they will never become a millionaire and thus wasted assets that might have led them to be just that. There is a middle ground. There are more options in life than becoming either a dreamer or a realist. Though it is important to dream, it is also important to be realistic about your dream.
About a year ago, I received a letter in my mailbox that made my heart jump in excitement. The newsletter came from friend and evangelist Craig Church. I had never met Craig, but in 2010, I stepped out in faith to bring Craig in to lead a three-day youth revival at my church. Every night, we saw more teens coming to the Lord than the night before! Back to the letter . . . anyone who knows Craig knows he has a daughter named Leah who loves basketball. Leah has been a national free throw champion, world-record three point shooter, and an individual who works tirelessly at her sport.
Before I continue, I need to say Leah’s dream was mine. Few can match my passion and love for the game of basketball. When October rolls around, most people think of Halloween and of orange pumpkins. Not me . . . I think of midnight madness and orange basketballs! The end of October always marks the beginning of basketball season!
So what was it that Craig wrote that made me jump up like I was grabbing a rebound coming off the glass? He wrote that 2017 would be the 10th year of Craig Church Ministries (CCM), his 25th year of marriage, and the year that his daughter Leah would begin playing college basketball for the University of North Carolina Tar Heels!
Anyone who knows basketball knows that UNC has produced some of the greatest basketball players of all-time, including Michael Jeffrey Jordan. Playing in the Dean Smith Center night in and night out would be akin to walking down Hollywood’s star walk of fame. Many of the jerseys hanging from the rafters are household names around the world.
You may wonder what Leah had to say in the letter? She said, “My early love of UNC is initially what made me fall in love with the game of basketball. For this desire and dream to come true and seeing all the hard work pay off is humbling. All the glory goes to Jesus! “Delight thyself also in the LORD: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.” (Psalm 37:4) GO TAR HEELS!”
Dreams do come true, but often not without a lot of time (everything can’t be instant), hard work and sacrifice. For every dreamer who sees his or her wish come true, there are countless others who worked just as hard only to see their dream come crashing down on their head. That’s the moment when reality comes knocking at the front door.
Perhaps you have dreamed of having a large next generation ministry or you have students that dream of becoming famous actors, musicians, or athletes. That’s good – there’s nothing wrong with dreaming! Some dreams do come true! But for those next generation leaders who don’t enlist, invest in, and train other leaders, I doubt your ministry will ever become what you dream about. For those students who don’t practice their theatrics, music, or sport, I doubt you will ever be famous. It’s important for us to sit down with the next generation and first hear out their dreams. Maybe they want to be the next You Tube star gone viral. That’s great! But then we need to talk about statistics and reality and the importance of having a back-up plan.
Another friend of mine, Coach Mark Miller had a dream to start a basketball academy in Raleigh, NC. Like Leah, his dream also came true! I still remember going from school-to-school and store-to-store passing out brochures to help my friend get his new business off the ground and running. It is important that we take time to tell the next generation that they can’t get anywhere by themselves. Though they have an iphone (emphasis on the “i”) and a dream, they still need friends, guides, teachers, and coaches who will mentor them face-to-face. In other words, dreams do come true, but often not without the help of others. Remind yourself and your students that you are to do everything for the glory of God (I Cor 10:31).
I hope all your dreams and wishes come true, but if they don’t, know God has something better in store for you (Jer 29:11)!