Dream Big!

Never let yesterday’s disappointments overshadow tomorrow’s
dreams. (Argus Communications)

Dreams. We all have them. Some are small. Some are average and doable, and
then there are the dreams in a category all their own, the really BIG dreams!
These are the dreams so big that you hold them protectively close to your heart
and only reveal them to the few selective people you completely trust. These
dreams are so precious and personal that at times you are afraid to even give
them a voice in case someone may shoot them down, or try to talk you out of them
before they are given a fair chance!

When my kids were little we had a favourite CD we would always listen to by
the Martins, a trio of Christian recording artists who happen to be siblings. I
cannot tell you how much their music touched my heart with their heartfelt
lyrics, positive messages and rich harmonies. The favourite CD that we almost
wore out was very appropriately entitled, “Dream Big!” Of all the songs on the
CD that one, the title track, really connected with us and we chose to play that
song over and over. It struck a chord with us! No pun intended. We played it to
such an extent that Tyler came to call it our “feme” (theme) song. He would say
often “C’mon Mom! Let’s dance to our feme song!” We would break into our little
impromptu dance sessions that would certainly not be featured on any dancing TV
reality show any time soon, yet the crazy moves sure brought smiles to our
faces! Hey if the theme song of our family was to be a song entitled “Dream
Big,” I would gladly take it! This special little ritual our family had started
involving this song touched my heart so deeply that I did something I have never
done before. I wrote the Martins a personal thank you card and letter. In it I explained 
how their music ministry had impacted our family in such a powerful way and how
we had very affectionately deemed their song Dream Big as our family theme song. 
 I don’t know how to explain it but I knew despite the volume of fan mail I am
sure they receive on a regular basis, that I KNEW I would get a response from
them. I actually looked for it in the mailbox often. Well imagine my excitement
when I received a huge envelope from the Martins poking out of my mailbox!
Inside was an autographed picture and a thank you note from them for sharing my 
family’s story about how their song had touched us! How cool is that? It
sure made our day!

The lyrics of that song start out with this line that says “ I believe
anything is possible when you understand who Jesus is.” This really spoke to my
heart as it describes that on our own what seems impossible may not be when our
dreams line up with God’s will for us. When this is the case, He makes it happen
in His will and time. I LOVE my job as an elementary school teacher. It is a lot
of work to give your all day after day to 20 cute and curious little people, but
it is also extremely rewarding. I sometimes wonder who the real teacher is
because my students teach me so much each and every day. My teaching career started with
substitute teaching as fulltime teaching jobs were and still are very hard to
come by in our area. On a trip to Florida in 2007 we were having the time of our
lives at Disney World and enjoying the spectacular fireworks show entitled
“Wishes” immensely. Throughout this amazing and colourful show the voices of
various iconic Disney characters such as Pinocchio, The Little Mermaid, and
Aladdin were heard stating their “big dreams,” or wishes for the mesmerized
crowd. When you really stop to think about it, almost every Disney movie is
about some character trying to fulfill a deep heart’s desire or big dream. At
one point in the show, the grand finale, the crowd is asked to focus on their
wish and concentrate really hard and to wish it into reality. I came to find out
that my husband and I wished and prayed for the very same thing, which was that
I would get a fulltime teaching contract very soon. Well four months later God
blessed me with the best Christmas present I could ask for, which was a fulltime
teaching contract in a beautiful, little school right in my hometown! It was my
big dream, and God’s will for me and it came to pass. How exciting for me and my
family!

The publication of my book Magic Kisses has been another very big dream that
finally came true for me. Believe me it did not just happen overnight! It took
many years, heartfelt prayers, diligent research, and partnering with the right
team to finally bring it to life. In my mind I wanted it done yesterday, but the
perfect timing for its completion was right now. It is hard to wait when our
dreams are not being fulfilled. We get frustrated and angry. We question God, or
wonder why life is unfair, yet we don’t really know what is going on behind the
scenes. The book has sparked many intriguing conversations about big dreams that
others in my circle of influence have had. They have confided in me very personal
stories about their big dreams and projects that have been temporarily shelved.
They have also implied that seeing a big dream come to pass for me has brought them
both hope and new inspiration. They have indicated that now may be the time to dust their
big dreams off and take another very serious look at them. Wow! That is amazing! If
I can have a small part in coming alongside someone and encourage him or her to
pursue a big dream,  I am both humbled and honoured! It is never too late
and trust me, I’ll be thrilled and proud to be in the front row for them with my
megaphone and pompoms!

Walt Disney himself was fired from his first job for of all things, lack of
ideas! Are you kidding me? The great “imagineer”  himself got let go because he
had “no creativity” in one person’s very inaccurate perception! Thank God he
continued to pursue his dreams as I cannot imagine what our world would be like
without the amazing contributions from the incredibly talented Walt Disney!

So what is your big dream? Don’t let others get you down. Remember though
that dreams often take great time and effort to come to life. We cannot force
things through on our timelines but when we add God in the mix, it is very
exciting to see what is within the realm of possibility! So what is the
soundtrack of your life right now? What is your theme song? Dream Big is a great
option! Consider that my friend and if you do you never know what could actually
be possible.
Dana

Matthew 19:26 ~ With God all things are possible.

Little Lesson Learned: Keep your dreams alive and believe that God wants to
make them a reality when they line up with His will for us. Be excited! You just
never know when the right people and opportunity will come along to bring your
dreams to life if you are open!

Copyright: Littlelessonslearnedbydana, 2014