Sunday, May 10, 2009

Dreams and Hard Work


I have been getting a horse ready for sale the last two weeks. It's a lot of work. She (Tina) is not quite three and would like us to believe that she has forgotten everything she learned last fall with the trainer. It takes a lot of time, dedication and vision to see the potential in a horse when they are acting like broncos or spoiled brats. The miracle is that with enough time, patience, training and hard work we can turn them into show winners.

In the same way there is no short cut to fulfilling a dream. They all take time, dedication, a willingness to learn and lots of work.

I think that is what Jesus meant when He asked us to consider the cost before we committed to Him. "Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? (Luke 14:28)

What would happen if I quit on my horse? She would never attain her full potential and there's a very good possibility that her life would be cut short. Horses with bad manners, that you can't ride are not good for much.

To me the cost is worth it. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel because my trainer and I have trained a few horses. I know that if I work hard now, in a while she will be more manageable and it won't be so hard next year to get her ready for riding.

Can you see the light at the end of the tunnel? If you work hard can you see a part of your dream coming to pass? I guess the big question is, "What are you willing to go without or do without to pursue your dream?"

I know for me... I have been committing a couple of hours every second day to training plus the additional time of handling, grooming, feeding every day. I do not have time for many things right now, but that is okay, because I have made the choice to do this. When we decide what we will do with our free time it empowers us somehow. It's easier to sacrifice when it's not forced on us by others.

On that note, I am still trying to help a lady with her dream of learning to play the piano. She now knows how to chord a worship song and I am teaching her some music theory along the way.

What I've noticed though, is now that she's realizing how hard it is to play the piano well, she is reconsidering how much she wants the dream. You see, she has three young children and she works and she still wants to read her fiction books every night. As you can imagine... practicing the piano is not happening.

This happens to many people. We start off great but then when we realize that it will take a lot longer than we imagined to achieve our dream, we want to give up. Do not shelve or give up on your dream! Instead, break your dream down into many small steps and figure out what one step you can start on now. Be realistic with your goal setting.

For example, I am going to encourage the piano lady to make some baby sized goals to start with and see how see does with that. It can be a challenge breaking down a dream into manageable, bite-sized pieces, but it can be done. Pursuing a dream, however slowly makes us more alive, more vibrant. Do not let anything or anyone steal your dream because "hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life." (Proverbs 13:12) Even achieving the smallest part of a dream gives you courage to keep believing God for more and along the way or journey we become a tree of life to help others pursue their dreams. It is amazing how God changes us and uses us along the way!


Lord Jesus, You are so awesome! Bless this reader as they pursue You and Your dream for their lives!

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