Impossible Dreams

I have concluded that the most valuable dreams, goals, and plans are the impossible ones. Since that doesn’t sound like a very sensible statement, let me explain.

Human beings, by nature, will not ask God for help with anything they think they can handle. Sure, after a few go-rounds, some of us figure out we can’t handle anything, but that takes years, a lot of hard knocks, and … a few impossible dreams, goals, and plans.

God, on the other hand, being a jealous God, will usually stand in our way, to prevent us from succeeding at anything we attempt to do without asking for His help.

Are you getting the picture yet? Here we are, with something we think we can do ourselves, but we can’t, because since we haven’t asked God for help, He prevents us from doing what we thought we could do. It may sound a little complicated, but it’s shockingly simple, really.

Thus the value of an impossible dream.

For a few years, after making many valiant attempts to accomplish my dreams on my own, I just gave up. I hadn’t been succeeding (if you’d like to know why, read the previous paragraphs) so I concluded that it wasn’t worth trying. The problem was that not only did I quit trying, I quit dreaming, asking, and believing. And I was miserable. There just is no other word to describe my state of existence. Miserable is the only one that comes close.

As the Lord began to resurrect those dreams, He added a few dimensions to each of them, making them all 100% impossible. Financially they’re impossible. I am not even bothering to scrimp and save my pennies, because I could do that for the rest of my life, and still not have nearly enough to finance what I have in mind. Oh, I am not wasteful, I just enjoy what God has given me now, and recognize that I am not capable of financing something that is just too big for me.

Physically they’re impossible, too. When the Lord put me together, He did it in such a way that I cannot be happy unless I spend a lot of time with Him, and a fair chunk of time, in addition, relaxing and thinking. I can’t work twelve hours a day and be happy. Not even ten, usually. Just as I try not to waste my money, but enjoy it, I try to enjoy—not waste—my time. I’ve become wise enough to know, however, that my own attempts to work into existence what I’d like to see happen just wouldn’t be enough.

So here I am, with impossible dreams, goals, and plans. The money I could save and the effort that I could invest would not be enough to bring them to pass. So why are they valuable?

These things demand that I ask and believe.

Those who believe are happy. Those who ask receive.

I dare you: set the impossible in your sights.

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