Learning To Dream Again

Twenty years ago, I found myself curled in a ball in the middle of my cold, bathroom floor, crying hysterically. I was convinced that no one could possibly understand the depths of my pain. When would this misery end? I was broken. I had no money, few friends, and no hope. How was I going to raise these children alone for 18 years? How could I make it financially? Would my circumstances every change? How could I ever get over all the abuse from my past?

There were a million questions and I had no answers. That is my story – the story of a lonely single mom, living on government assistance, running from God, and feeling I couldn’t push through. The next several years brought a winding road of highs and lows, victories and defeats. But I did push through. I made it through those early years of parenting alone. Although I hadn’t been in years, I became involved in my local church, rededicated my life to the Lord, and slowly began the journey of digging myself out of a financial and emotional hole. My heart found rest. I leaned on the Lord, when everyone else had failed me. I learned to dream again. I learned that God planted things inside me that only I could do, that my past didn’t have to dictate my future. And I never forgot what it was like to be that lonely, overwhelmed single mom.

Moms and dads, the best thing you can do for your children is dream again!

Employers, the best thing you can do for your staff is dream again!

Daughters, the best thing you can for your future husband is learn to dream again!

When you were a kid, do you remember dreaming of becoming the next world-champion figure skater or the next President of the United States or the coach at the high school? When did we lose that dream? I understand it's difficult to get excited about dreams, when you're barely keeping your head above water. When our kiddos are small, we do our very best to encourage them to dream, to hope? So why then, do we allow our own dreams to die?

We can dream! Maybe it has been years since you've thought about those things God placed in your heart, oh so long ago. Maybe you feel you are too far off course or the dream is too far gone. Maybe you are too scared to even utter aloud the hopes you have for your future. Learn to dream. Learn to ask God for big ideas and vision! There are things He wants you to do in this life, so go back to him and ask him.

[written by Jennifer Maggio, author and speaker]