Dreams

" Things don't change. You change your way of looking, that's all."
Carlos Castaneda

Our dreams are influenced and changed by time. As we grow older our priorities, goals and dreams change. Our dreams mingle with experience, wisdom, cynisism, new perspectives. Time might grant us the opportunity to spend more time with long lost dreams - to rediscover them.
Does not matter how we spend our time on dream development, it is important to keep our minds fertile, always cultivating new dream seeds.

Years ago me and Mario drew inspiration from a couple. We met them while on holiday by the sea. Beside the fire in the evenings they came to share with us their plans and dreams for the future. Being very young, energetic and positive about our future together we already accumulated quite a few dreams for our future together. Some of those dreams seemed so unrealistically far away, we sometimes felt that we would never have the time to get to them all. Listening to this couple describing their dream to build the retirement home of their dreams, on their farm beside the Vaal River, similar to the house in the movie - The Golden Pond, inspired me to live by the philosophy that we may never grow too old to dream.
We will only be old once, regret has taken the place of our dreams.

With time our dreams will change, to fall into the scope of our physical abilities and spiritual season of growth, but our age may never be an excuse not to dream.

• Many dreams have subdivisions. The dream is not and end in itself. One dream might through its fulfillment generate the power to put another dream within reach. Dreams pave the way for each other.

• When one dream comes true there will always be the danger that the things which gave us joy previously are not big enough to sustain us. It is as if the new dream, now a reality has heightened our standards. Remember, with every achievement, with every success you have to force yourself to stay on ground level. Always draw your joy and peace from God, the only eternal sustainable source of satisfaction. Distance yourself from your dreams that became reality, it may never become that which sustains you.

• With every dream comes a sacrifice and risk. Working towards the fulfillment of your dreams mean to rise, to fly above everyday obstacles and challenges. You won't be able to fly with heavy baggage attached to you. We have to leave some things behind. Many people have given up their dreams, because they feel more comfortable on ground level surrounded by their baggage. Its a choice between security vs uncertainty. You have to weigh up the price. Choose well my friend.

• Believe in your dreams. If you are sure that those dreams are within God's will for your life they will come true. God will put your patience and faith to the test. But once He is sure that you are worthy of this dream He has planted within you, He will give it to you. For years I have walked around with a picture in my head of the perfect man for me. Through the years the image changes a little, but the basic characterisitics stayed the same. I believed in this dream, but as the years passed by I started to doubt the existence of such a man. Just before I gave up on the dream, he arrived. He is not perfect, our relationship is a work in progress. But I can hang in there, I can give everything, I can enjoy even the hard times all because I did not forsake me dream and it did not forsake me.

• Dreams are influenced by the people we come in contact with. People introduce us to realms previously unknown to us. We can't dream if we don't have something to dream about. Through other people we are enriched, our dreams become weaved around the ones we love and respect. God use people to encourage us to take the risks needed to make our dreams reality. Most of us will know of someone, if not ourselves, who would not have been able to be who they are if it wasn't for the continous support of someone else. Our dreams are shaped those around us.

We might be walking around with skeleton dreams, those dreams where the end is written, but the route to get there is unclear. Those dreams need the muscle of direction to bring them alive. God will use people in your life to become like a honeyguide, showing you the route to Canaan. It will still be your dream, you will still need to take the risks, but don't be afraid to take guidance from others.

Everyone who have had a the privilege of tasting the honey of a dream come true, have an obligation. Use your experience to become a honey guide in the dreams of other people. Use you influence, your faith, your wisdom to help others make their dreams come true. That in itself will be a dream fulfilled.