Dream Keeper

When my daughter was three years old, I wrote the following:

Countless times I’ve commented that I love little girls at Nadia’s age—I love their imagination and dreaminess. The last couple of days have found me visiting these thoughts once again. Nadia’s name means hope—and she lives up to it. She has the kind of hope that stares opposition boldly in the face. She wears it with liveliness and playfulness, and at times with fierce determination. And she dreams—wonderful little girl dreams.

Today we played catch and soccer out in the grass behind our apartment—Noah and I in proper attire, and Nadia in her princess dress. The princess played, too, but would stop every so often to dance her ballerina dance and beg an audience. Then she would tell me to dance as well.

What happens to the knight and the princess when they’ve grown?  The brokenness of our world has a way of smothering the glow of life inside of us until it’s all but lost.  I remember being that girl in twirling skirt, singing my made-up little girl songs.  Dreaming big dreams.  Then dreams were replaced with wounds and guilt, and dreams gave way to resignation to what life is.  Because it’s not safe to dream.  Hoping leads to disappointment. 

How can dreams survive when faced with the harsh reality of a world that lies, cheats, violates,  steals, and destroys?  How does hope continue when faced with rejection and disillusionment?  When "anything is possible" is met with the unforgiving face of impossibility?

Maybe what life appears to be isn’t actually the truth.

We are more than conquerors through Christ Jesus.  (Romans 8:37)

In this world we will have troubles, but Jesus says “But take heart! I have overcome this world.” (John 16:33)

God will never leave us or forsake us.  (Hebrews 13:5) 

God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and love and a sound mind.  (II Timothy 1:7)

He works all things together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28)

We are joint heirs with Christ--sons and daughters of the living God. (Romans 8:16-17)

The voices of this world drown out the Truth of God’s Voice.  In order to survive the onslaught against our hearts and live the hope we are called to, we must cling to God’s Truth above every other voice.  It must be our lifeline.  We must constantly weigh the messages from others and in our own minds against the Truth of God’s word.  What does God say about me?

I am still that little girl in twirling skirt, longing to right the injustices of the world and see hope prevail.  I long for Christ redemption to be complete in this world.  I still fight to dream, to hope against all hope.  And I am deeply loved by a more-than-capable God.  Everything else is just details.

Last night as we lay down to sleep we prayed and listened to God. Nadia, who often says that God told her something about toys or school, said these words, “I’ll keep your dreams…come true. I’ll keep you safe.” Yes, my dear Nadia, God does hold our dreams in His hands, and you can trust Him to keep them and your heart safe.

Our God is a dream keeper.  He is the one that gives us dreams.  He whispers them in our ear; plants the seed of hope in our heart.  May we all dream as wildly and as confidently as children, trusting in a God "who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did." (Romans 4:17)