I just read this quote and it spoke to me, I mean it REALLY spoke to me. Dreams, wishes, hopes, desires, and vision are what keep us going through the storms of life. We have to have a clear vision of the end result in order to get up every morning and do it again, or start it all together, whatever “it” is. Sadness, boredom, and complacency come when we loose sight of or hope for our dreams. We must be willing to “dream the impossible dream” to make a wish, and go after it, because as soon as we do that, our life has meaning.
It makes me think of my mission, and the plan of salvation. I can’t tell you how many faithful followers of Christ I met that truly loved God and clung to Him for everything in their life, that still felt stagnant and purposeless because they had no clear vision of why we are here and what the end result is. The Lord knew that our spirits need to have a goal to work towards so He painted the picture for us. He told us that this life was the time to prepare to meet Him, and by meeting, I think that He means more that just reuniting with our Dad in heaven, which, by the way, I can’t wait to do. But I contend that perhaps He also meant that we would really have the opportunity to get to know Him by becoming like Him. We meet His ways, we will live His ways, we will follow in His footsteps and enjoy the glory that He has, because He will give it to us, if we will but go after our dreams while here on earth. The plan of salvation teaches us that we will have more than many mansions as thought of in worldly terms, but we will eternal families, lasting friendships, the finest things here in life, coupled with eternal glory which glory we can’t even begin to comprehend while here on earth. And the goodness will never reach a plateau, we will always have new goals to achieve and greater joy to obtain.
It has been my experience that all eternal principles can be used for temporal things. If wish-making and dream chasing is an eternal principle, then we must use it for our earthly dreams also. I dream to be the one sitting in the therapist chair, or playing with kids in the hospital and helping them work through the emotional process of their hospital stay, right now every obstacle seems to be against me. It seems to be an impossible dream. I feel behind in my goal achieving, I lack the needed money, and the scholarly ways, I feel overwhelmed by other things in life, and fear that it all may be too close to home, but if I retreat now, my life will not have as much meaning, I will not have a directed purpose and my complacency will cause me deep sorrow. I dream of having a family and actually being able to love and be loved romantically, it seems so impossible to me, impossible and painful, fear is ruling the chasing of this dream. I must overcome the fear and work towards my dream in faith or again, I will feel the sorrow and loneliness of a meaningless life.
My greatest heroes have discovered their dreams and went after them against all odds. Tony and Judi Clark in joining the church. My Mother in having me, her literal “dream child” in ailing health at the age of 45 against the odds of her death. My brother Larry and his wife Trish, who are in the midst of their dream chasing, in selling his house and moving to Dingle Idaho to help my parents with the faith that the Lord will provide a way. My friend Devin, serving a mission shortly after the death of his mom. My sister Lauralee, who is in the beginning process of a very painful dream chase, as she changes her life completely, and truly forsakes all to build on the rock of our redeemer and gain the peace she has always dreamt of having. My friend, and young woman Aryn, who took a math test three times, and worked closely with a guy in the admissions office of BYU-I so she could be admitted in despite her lack of public schooling.
My Savior, who felt the pain and sins of a world embracing every heart ache, who was tempted beyond anything I will ever understand but never gave up because He knew the joy of each of us, and the joy of being at the right hand of the Father. They all dreamed the impossible dream and went after their impossible wishes despite the heart ache, the blackness of the road, the many times their dreams seemed crushed or it appeared that God abandoned them in their chase, and despite the fear. They clung to faith, hope, and love until they could achieve their dreams. All of these people are my heroes and some of the happiest people I know, why? Because their life has meaning.
Let’s all become heroes and dream the impossible dream that each of us have, then go after it with the help of the Lord, as we do so, we will find joy in the fact that our lives have meaning.
