Dreams and Greens and Corn and Things
September 17, 2019
In One Year: Essay Discussion; an impromptu, unedited interview about my dreams + where I see myself in a year’s time with my pal, Devin
In One Year: Dreams and Greens and Corn and Things
For me personally, thinking about where I will be in a year is exciting. However, if this essay had been assigned in an earlier quarter, you would find yourself reading a paper you may mistake for someone else’s and not mine specifically. This time last year, I was a completely different person. I wouldn’t have (by any stretch of my imagination) been excited about my post-graduation plans, because although I had an instinctual passion for art and design, I lacked a defining hope which now stands as the driving force and determination for my future career plans. I didn’t have a big enough dream, and I didn’t have any source of hope as the defining foundation of that dream.
This past summer, I read a book by Mark Batterson, entitled Chase the Lion. Batterson explains how adopting this mindset of chasing your dreams and seizing opportunities can change your life. Whenever we learn to turn our attention away from our current circumstances and fear of failure, and we learn to trust fully in the Lord, we can continuously achieve growth and new knowledge in every area of our lives. Whenever we humble our previous knowledge and our thoughts about the character of God, He will perpetually blow our minds and produce crazy miracles in our lives, such as bringing our crazy, impossible dreams to fruition. Choosing to run to the roar of a huge lion may seem scary and ridiculous to most; but to me, choosing to face my fears and chase those impossible dreams is what each of us was made to do during our time on earth. When we choose to limit our dreams or dwell in selfish/small mindsets, we don’t limit God- we limit ourselves, our joy, growth, successes, and our wisdom. We are called to dream God-sized dreams; impossible, ridiculous, crazy dreams that could never happen without divine intervention. Batterson’s Chase the Lion repeats this core motto throughout the book: “If your dream doesn’t scare you, it’s too small.”
Without further ado, my God-sized dream is to use my spiritual gift of creating art as a vehicle to proclaim the good news as to my audience. Wherever that God-sized dream leads me, is where I will be in a year. Whoever the Lord may put along my path, is who I will be working with in a year. Whatever position at whatever firm the Lord makes available to me, is what job I will possess in a year. If my dream is truly God-sized, there’s no way I can assume any specific city in which I may live, the people I may be involved with, or any specific job position. This is because God-sized dreams don’t include personal, small-minded plans. God-sized dreams demand the continuous self-humbling of a sinner with a God-sized faith; knowing that impossible dreams (facilitated through divine intervention) are only the start.
Title reference: “I’ve Got the Joy (Live),” a song by Common Hymnal
https://open.spotify.com/track/5GqjznwJ5BN4cELHZNj22T?si=20oiaQ2TSuSnBIr3bk9REQ