Dream BIG!

Today, I sat in a room with doctors, nurses, engineers, pastors, pilots, carpenters, mommies to orphans and a few presidents. What a bunch, huh?? These children of war know how to dream! This is what gives me hope. I recently worked with a group of kids that have received no trauma care and many of them were unable to dream. The children I worked with today give me hope, that soon all these children who have faced traumatic experiences will be able to dream.

 Before I came here, I had a rough couple of months. I am beginning to see why God led me through some trials during that time, so I could share more from my heart the importance of dreaming, even though it is hard. A wise counselor, Jan Meyes-Proett, shared with me that when we push down our deepest desires and do not face them, we put ourselves in a very vulnerable place. We end up doing things that we know is not what we truly desire deep down in the depths of our hearts…but in the moment it seems easier and we rather trade in feeling that at least some of our needs are being met, rather than every part of our heart.

 I have been able to pass this wisdom on to these brave hearts and challenge them to DREAM BIG…bigger than getting school fees, bigger than just a job. Who are they going to BE? How are others going to SEE them? Who are they in the depths of their soul? It is hard and very frightening. You are walking in unknown territory and we don’t know if our dreams will come true…but we dream anyways!

 These children have more strength and ability to dream than I do. I watch them draw, I hear them share…with power in their voice, confidence in their demeanor. They BELIEVE, they TRUST and they walk by FAITH…Lord teach me to dream like them.

 When asked what they are thankful for, these children respond “wisdom” “knowledge” “that God protected me” “that I am ALIVE”…no child in America that I have worked with has ever responded in this way. These children know how to be grateful.

 I walked into the room and asked the group if they remembered what their assignment was from a few days ago. They nodded their heads, grinned and shouted, “DREAM BIG!” Oh I wish I had that moment on recording so you could hear the hope and courage in their voices.

 They put their heads down and listened as I guided them through an imagery activity of picturing their dream. Can’t you just seem them in the future? As I watch them I want to climb inside their minds to see where they are going, what they are doing.

 They sit up and begin to put whatever image that was in their mind into a drawing or words. For a moment in time they see themselves as ABLE, as ACHIEVERS and most of all as DREAMERS. They hear that “All things are possible through Christ” and that they are capable of making meaning of their past through finding their purpose in the here and now.

 All we can do is present our heart, in its truest, purest form to God and trust and believe that He sees and hears all of our innermost desires and will lead us to a place where….

 DREAMS REALLY DO COME TRUE.