“Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but when the desire comes, it is a tree of life” (Proverbs 13:12).
THERE WILL COME A TIME WHEN OUR DREAMS COME TRUE, IF WE ARE FOUND IN CHRIST AT HIS COMING. The God who created us put “eternity” in our hearts (Ecclesiastes 3:11). He planted in us a deep need for perfect fellowship with Him, something that no longer can be had in this world. So it’s no coincidence that we dream of another world, the kind of world for which we were made. We dream of heaven. But although it’s a dream, it’s not just a dream.
With any dream, there can sometimes be a long gap between the dream and its fulfillment, and no one who has experienced the deep yearning and heartache that go with an unfulfilled dream would disagree with Solomon: “Hope deferred makes the heart sick.” And with regard to heaven, Paul put it in vivid language: “In this [body] we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed with our habitation which is from heaven” (2 Corinthians 5:2).
But those who overcome are those who keep hope alive during the delay. The agony and emptiness of waiting only intensify the joy of the dream once it is realized, and it’s only a fool who says he doesn’t want a thing at all if he can’t have it right now.
So we ought to pursue our dreams passionately. Even in this broken old world, there are many worthy things that the Christian may dream of enjoying. These “life-under-the-sun” dreams may or may not come true, but whether they do or not, I hope you won’t give up having dreams. To be without dreams is to be less than human. But far more precious than any earthly dream is the dream of heaven. It is surely the greatest dream of the human heart, and unlike earthly dreams that must be held somewhat tentatively, there need be nothing tentative about the way we hold the hope of heaven. We should hold that hope with a love that will not let go.
So whoever you are, please don’t let go of heaven. Don’t stop dreaming. Don’t stop reaching forward. For the time being, unfulfilled desires are difficult to deal with, but the emptiness of our hearts right now will only make the dream sweeter when it comes true. And one day, my dear friend, the dream is going to come true!
Climb every mountain, ford every stream,
Follow every rainbow, ’til you find your dream.
(Oscar Hammerstein)
Gary Henry — WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com
