For example, do you suppose Jesus ever dreamed of having a
wife and children? What if He had imagined building His step-father’s carpentry
shop into a wealthy business? Did He consider what it would be like to become a
political Messiah? By mobilizing a nation chafing under Roman occupation, He
could have ruled Palestine by the time He was 40.
And why shouldn’t Jesus have had these dreams? He had every
right to “be the best He could be,” right?
That’s what you and I are always told: Set your sights as
high as you can. Aim for the stars. What you can believe you can achieve.
Right?
Of course our Savior didn’t pursue His own dreams, did He? He
explained it this way: For I have come down from
heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me (John 6:38). Jesus
submitted His life and plans to His Heavenly Father. Christ, the only perfect Man, had unlimited potential to achieve any personal goal He might ever have
envisioned. But He chose to say, even in His last hours…not what I will, but what you will (Mark 14:36).
So what about your dreams? Wanting to make your mark in the
world by setting goals and pursuing them—that’s a good thing. Christ’s followers
ought to try harder and achieve higher than anyone. But to the glory of God. And
that’s the hard part, I guess—figuring out how to aim high and try hard, but
also how to submit to God and adapt to the inevitable changes and detours He brings into our lives.
When you reach a certain age, you look back on your life
with a bit more perspective and wisdom than when you were younger. Often
the dreams you dreamed, the plans you planned and the goals you set didn’t
materialize as you had hoped. So how do you make sense of that?
Pioneer missionary C.T Studd put it famously: Only one life, 'twill soon be past, Only what's done for Christ will last.
