Bringing the Dream to Life
HERE IS THE PROBLEM
There are many ways someone could go about reaching their dreams. But I think that is where the problem lies. For example, I come from a small town in Arkansas… Blytheville. Here, you don’t see many people going after their dreams. Instead, (like in many other places) you see a lot of people trying to attain their “dreams” often times, at the expense of others.
Hopes and dreams are repeatedly snatched away from the youth here, primarily because of the circumstances of the environment. The nickname for Blytheville is “Thug Town” (affectionately named by those that insist on perpetuating a legacy of violence, drugs, money, and “getting it by any means necessary” if we are being honest).
For those that are from Blytheville, if this past week didn’t show how quickly dreams can be locked up, and thrown away, I don’t know what else can. My heart goes out to any and all families that have been affected by the events that led to the outcomes of last week.
For several young men, at some point I believe, a dream was taken away. Someone convinced them that there was only one way to acquire the things you want out of life.
Most won’t admit that they were sold an idea of freedom, that in reality kept them paranoid and on their toes, until inevitably reaching their demise.
And there are multiple sides to this, the streets are just the most obvious. But I’ve seen the twisted nature of dream crushing in political atmospheres, this town’s police department, and even some churches. Dutiful leadership is replaced with municipal secrecy, coddling misbehavior, and attaining high social status.
And I only write on things I know. The so-called “empires” that are built to sustain the negativity are incapable of bringing dreams to life. In fact, they tend to crush them with instability, iniquity, incarceration, and death.
BUT HERE IS THE GOOD NEWS
Fortunately there is another path, a road less traveled, to attaining ones dream. The good news is that if you woke up today, then you have another chance to take it. I’m talking about following the road to those dreams that have never been seen before.
And we all have dreams, or did at some point. However, most people are not willing to do what it takes to actually fulfill them. We start, but soon realize that it is not as simple, or it doesn’t come into fruition as quickly as we’d like. That’s because, (and brace yourself) it takes a lifetime to fulfill a good dream. It will definitely require eliminating the version of yourself that wants instant gratification, or smooth sailing.
Though there are many critics, this world needed Dr. Martin Luther King’s dream. And whether you believe it or not, the world needs your God-inspired dream, that is why you were created.
“Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a dream fulfilled is a tree of life.” When I stumbled across this verse in Proverbs, the literary nerd in me immediately took me to the poem “Harlem” by Langston Hughes.
I’ve seen way too many hopes and dreams whither away where I come from. I think it is part of the reason why I stumbled into education. Everyone has a dream, and they can be suppressed early on in a person’s childhood. Especially in an environment that says it is impossible.
Knowing that my young ones are watching, and that in Christ all things are possible, I’m willing to walk into my dreams even the long way, so that they too can see it is possible.
