Dreamer's Heart.

The past few days I have found myself in a constant state of day dreaming. Not the kind that makes you seem like you are always lost in space and can't come down to function in the real world... But the kind that leaves the feeling that there's some uncaptured dream just below the surface, waiting to be discovered and set free. See, I used to dream all the time, about everything... The future, things I could do with friends, the places I want to go in the world, the ways I'd like to see God move. The crazy thing is, somewhere in all the busyness, the constant homework, the shuffling here and there, I think I somehow lost my dreamer's heart. I think I forgot how to think beyond the practical, tangible, and mundane. Somehow I forgot how to dream.

And then... Summer comes. I go off to El Salvador, get a big healthy dose of the Holy Spirit. Then I come back to great friends, wonderful family, a new house with amazing room mates... I get to work at camp. I get to see campers growing. I start taking education classes and communication classes that begin to remind me why I do the things I do. All of these things, combined with the fact that it's warm outside, and in my mind warm equals free... Let the dreaming begin.



So, what is it I'm dreaming about? Well... That's a good question. It starts small, with something like attending a teaching conference in New Orleans that is happening this month. I start thinking about all the things I want to share with my future students, how I want to get to know them and for them to know me. Then it grows, to "Hey, let's go to Orlando!" (At this point in life, everything is becoming an excuse for a road trip.) And if I'm being real... (I mean, after all, this is MY blog...) I'm even dreaming about the day when Joel and I are joined together forever, where we will live, what God will call us to.

Here's what I think. I think that somewhere along the way of the last few months, I began to sell out to the lie that it's not okay to dream. Many times when I've shared my excitement about the future, even the most beloved of friends or mentors would reply with, "Okay Linds, but don't forget to keep your focus on the present." And of course, they're right; the present is very important, living in the moment that God has given us now. Dreaming of the future can put you in danger of making those dreams an idol. But why can't you focus on now and still wait in excited anticipation of the future? See, all of these things I'm dreaming of, though they may seem very distant... These dreams are what makes the present worth while. These dreams are my reason to keep on keepin' on.