Jack Canfield tells the true story about a young high school student whose father was a horse trainer. Because the family had to follow the horse-racing season, the young boy had to change schools throughout the year. During his senior year he was asked to write a paper about what his dreams for the future were. His paper described his dream of owning a 200-acre horse ranch with stables and tracks, and a 4,000-square-foot home. He even drew a diagram of the property and the design of his house. He turned the paper in...and two days later it came back with an “F” on the front and a note to see the teacher.
After class, the teacher explained to the boy that his dream was “unrealistic.” The teacher said that if the boy rewrote the paper with a more realistic dream, she would reconsider the grade. The boy went home and asked his father what to do.
It’s your decision,” replied the father. Dad knew this was a very important decision in his young boys’ early life.
The boy kept the paper for a week and then returned it to his teacher after class. “Here,” the boy said, “you can keep the ‘F’ and I’ll keep the dream.”
A man is blind from birth and Jesus gives him is dream of sight. The dream-stealing Pharisees renounce the act and kick the man out of the church. A woman with a questionable reputation pours expensive perfume on Jesus, and the dream stealers in the room try to take away her joy in this act of adoration. Matthew’s gospel talks about the journey of the disciples with Jesus, traveling around the area with Good news. Filled with awe, wonder and exhilaration over the experience, the group picks some wheat from a field and begins eating it. Suddenly their joy is broken by the Pharisees yelling, “What are you doing?! You are working on the Sabbath! Religion is about rules and regulations and you are acting irresponsibly!”
Jesus turns to them and says in essence – “Religion isn’t about rules and regulations, it isn’t about staying in the lines, it’s about a dream, the dream of God Himself. Religion is an adventure!” Jesus is the dream giver who wants us to listen to His dream for us, and others, and run around making it a reality.
Your faith life is an adventure! It is the adventure of wonderful dreams! Never let anyone try and take God’s wonderful dreams from you, away. Instead, take the dream and dream even bigger! That’s the journey of faith.
~ God bless, Dan