Earlier this week we were looking at dreaming dreams and then making them happen (Are you dreaming? and Don’t just think about it!). And perhaps some of you were encouraged to brush off those dusty dreams, and even to take some initial steps to make them happen.
But I know some dreams just seem impossibly unreachable. We’ve recently celebrated our girls finally coming home from Haiti after an arduous process that never seemed to end (Finally home and Actually, today was the day). Their homecoming was a dream that was completely out of our hands, and for years really it truly seemed unattainable. There was even a point that we considered giving up – not because we didn’t desire the dream anymore. Instead, we wondered if stepping away from their adoption, and allowing another family to adopt the girls, might be in their best interest. Some of the challenges in the process was our family size, and we loved the girls enough to walk away if that meant they could go home to someone else more quickly. As it turned out, we didn’t walk away, and the step challenged by our family size was quickly passed.
We dreamed, we prayed, we lost hope, we regained hope. And then finally it happened. Even the impossible dreams do come true. As I was watching my boys play this week, another thought came to mind about achieving dreams…
Josiah, one of our 5 yo sons, is convinced he can fly. According to him, he can’t quite do it, but he just has to practice a little more. Josiah is also working on convincing Kia, our other 5 yo son, that he too can fly – but just needs lessons from Josiah to learn!
So several times throughout the day, flying practice takes place. The boys take dining rooms chairs and place them at the edge of the two steps leading down into the living room. Standing on the chairs, and flapping their arms wildly, they jump off the chairs. Landing, they laugh and smile, saying, “That was better, right Mom? I stayed up a few more seconds this time. I just have to practice some more and try harder…” And so they do. Over, and over, and over again.
Never once has it occurred to Josiah that he can’t fly. The only thoughts he has is that he just needs more practice.
As I was chuckling about their flying practice, several lessons came to mind:
- Practice – When it comes to dreams, even (or especially!) the ones that seem rather challenging, sometimes we just need more practice and to try harder. When we’re faced with insurmountable odds, we’ve got to climb back up on those chairs, and stay committed to our goals. We can’t question ourselves about whether our dream may be unrealistic.
- Friends – Going it alone is tough anyways, but particularly when we’re pursuing a dream. Just like Josiah convinced Kia to join him in flying practice, sometimes we need to bring a friend along with us on our dream-journey. And the truth is, your companion will support and love you – not because they necessarily believe in your dream, but because they believe in you. So when you seek out someone’s support, don’t feel like you must convince them of your dream. You just have to welcome their friendship!
- Joy – if you listen and watch Josiah even a few minutes during his flying practice, he’ll cause you to start questioning yourself. “Am I sure that people can’t fly?” “I think he really did stay up an extra milli-second that time!” As much as I know he can’t fly, his joy and passion start convincing me otherwise. What if we approached our dreams in the same way – so full of joy and passion that we start convincing others around us!
Together with practice, friends and joy, may you be encouraged today to continue dreaming dreams and making them happen! Because who knows, some day soon you too may say, “I can fly!”
