Of Hopes and Dreams

  by  Funchye

There is no human who has not dreamed of more. That insatiable desire within us that dares to hope for sun when the thunderous clouds roll overhead, that dream for morning as darkness overwhelms us. Somewhere, deep inside of us, is the blueprint for hope.

It is interesting then, how quick we are to crush that same hope in ourselves. The mountains are too big, the air too cold, the water too deep. Excuses bubble out of us like an unending spring when the journey is set to begin. The dreaming from the night before quickly forgotten in the reality of today.

"What did you want to be when you were younger?" is a question that is often asked. It speaks to our innate desire to be more. Policemen, firemen, a pilot, a princess... left with unbridled passion, children often flock to their images of nobility, grace and safety. How quickly we forget.

As time ticks methodically by, we are left with the doldrums of everyday life. Classes, bills and hours spent longing for the weekend start to erode our keen sense of hope. Suddenly a policeman becomes an accountant, the fire fighter a salesman. The young child who leaped with joy at the thought of being a beacon for others is more concerned with meeting the bills.

There's no problem with any profession in and of itself. I know many people who get excited at the thought of spreadsheets and ledges. Others who get a thrill out of providing a service and hunting down the big sale. Even if I think they are insane, it is not for me to judge.

However, when that same thinking starts to creep into our understanding of God and His Church, it should give us pause. Jesus came and established with the disciples an unbridled passion for the global community. No more would walls, nations or divisions be a part of His Kingdom. It was open and free for any who would take it, and there would be an established place here on earth where all could see it.

Then we turned it into Annual General Meetings, committee's and by-laws.

These things are necessary in our modern world, but they should not be the guiding force behind the mission, purpose and passion of the Church. We are a people, a holy nation set apart. God has called us and we have responded into a calling of healing and hope for a broken people.

Each community has its' own flavour, its' own way of expressing what the Holy Spirit is doing. Are you dreaming in yours, or making your weekly appearance because it is your duty?

I pray it is the former. Be an ambassador of hope to the hopeless.