Sunday July 5
dreams deferred
Larry Carter was stunned at how much a child’s ability to dream had changed in just a few decades. When he was a boy, his Little League baseball coach asked him and his teammates if they had the dream of becoming a professional baseball player. Nearly every boy raised his hand. His coach said if they hoped to fulfill that dream, they would have to work hard now. The team was so inspired that they practiced and played hard and went undefeated for the next few seasons.
Fast forward 25 years: Larry asked the boys on the Little League team he was coaching the same question he had once been asked. To his surprise, not one kid raised his hand. What had come into their lives to steal their dreams? he wondered.
Solomon, one of the writers of Proverbs, contrasted the well-being of a person whose dreams were fulfilled with that of a person whose dreams had been postponed or even stolen (Proverbs 13:12). He noted that when time comes and goes and a person’s longings remain unfulfilled, it “makes the heart sick.” It fills the whole of the person (mind, emotions, and will) with disappointment and emotional confusion. An anemic will makes a person want to give up on his dreams. On the other hand, when a person’s dreams become reality, he gains the energy associated with eating from the tree of life. God energizes the will and the person is able to forge ahead. A fulfilled dream is sweet to the soul (v.19).
Sometimes our dreams are postponed and stolen by people, circumstances, or by unwise and sinful choices. At times, God will say “no” to our dreams so that He can point us in a better direction. Today, let’s bring our dreams to Him and submit to His wise and perfect plans! —Marvin Williams
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Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a dream fulfilled is a tree of life (v.12).
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Read 1 Samuel 1:26-28 and observe how Hannah responded to a dream fulfilled.
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What deferred hopes and dreams are making your heart sick these days? What dream has been fulfilled and is a source of life and inspiration for you?
Jeremy Camp - Here I Am from jeremy-camp on GodTube.
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