It’s one of my favorite elements of parenthood, the dreaming. Teaching her life and love and beauty, and yes, dreaming. In this broken, mashed up, violent world, it is imperative she know more. Life is about knowing God above all. If we miss this, we miss the very point of living. And He is the greatest dreamer of all.
I don’t fret at imagination and day dreams. I encourage them. I want her to play dress up, fly in imaginary hot air balloons, dance and twirl on invisible stages. She is the beauty in the story, always. And He is her rescuer, every time. I want her to dream, because I want her to know God, intimately.
I want her to paint and scribble and color, to create music with everything from pots and pans to well loved pianos passed down from great aunts. I want her to hear music, in the tapping of her feet and the wind in the trees, the roar of oceans and tinkling of wind chimes and giggles. I want her to see beauty in wrinkled hands reaching for her, changing leaves, guitar strumming, flower blossoms. It is everywhere, beauty and music, and if she knows Him she’ll see it.
At night while she slumbers, at day while she plays, in her heart when she hopes for a world better… I want her to dream. Always.
I can’t imagine a life without dreaming, hoping of greater goodness and joy and life. What propels us if we don’t even have hope? Nothing. Life is stale. We wait and wonder, perhaps, and life passes by. Until one day it's simply over.
A life well lived is vibrant with hope, vivid with color, alive with dreams. And those dreams propel us, to love, to health, to seeing the world. To writing books and lyrics and building houses filled with warmth and healing. To start businesses and climb mountains and make families.
I want the best possible life for her, but that life is one she’ll build herself. I can’t do it for her, but I can show her how to dream it up. I can teach her to sketch it out, draw up the plans and gather materials. I can help her know her own greatness. I can illustrate what good plans look like, and I can show her God, point to Him time and time again, reminding her that He is the only true architect who can bring those plans to life.
She can see and do and be all she dares to hope, but first she must dream.
I want that for her, to see and know God. More than anything else. And I want to send her into the world someday knowing that though she’ll meet heartache along the way that’ll knock her to her knees, the dreaming will bring her back to her feet. The dreaming will point her back to Truth. The Dreamer will wrap her up in His arms and never let go.
“Always be aware of your season, your surroundings, and the Source of your strength. Success comes to wide awake dreamers.” –Hart Ramsey