Don’t Disqualify Your Dream

When I was in my teens, there was one thing — and only one thing — I wanted to be: a dancer. I’d danced all my life and was training professionally with dreams to go to New York Was I good? Fairly. Did I ever go? No. 

A lot of things held me back: fear, insecurities, even pride I suppose of wanting to be the best I could be before I made the move. Plus, my parents were conscientiously trying to guide me towards a more reasonable career (you’ll never make money as a dancer), and I never went, never fulfilled that dream. To deepen the remorse, I watched another, less talented girl move to New York and literally land on Broadway. 

The years passed and the dream dwindled away. In my heart, I guess I disqualified myself and the dream.   

Life and “reality” took over, but I forgot one simple thing: God is the one who formed me, and you, in the womb. He’s the one who plants thoughts and ideas and gifts and talents inside all mankind. Those “silly” and immature hopes, dreams and desires are often part of the plan of God to see his will and purposes accomplished in the earth.

Think about John who was created to “be great in the sight of the Lord…” (Luke 1:15) Or Paul, who was “a chosen instrument” to proclaim the name of Jesus to the Gentiles (Acts 9:15), or Jeremiah, of whom God said, “Before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as my prophet to the nations.” (Jeremiah 1:5) 

Have you disqualified your dream? Maybe it’s time to relook at that passion. You may feel like the time of opportunity has passed, but I know a God who offers second chances and will not let good things go to waste. 

Is God calling you to stir up those dreams again, to fan into flame the gifts he put within? Instead of disqualifying yourself and your dream, is it time to pray through to see how your youthful passion can mature for the reality of the here and now? 

Now that I’m older, I’m able look at my life and my accomplishments and see how God took the elements of the dancer in me and used it to shape who I am and what I’m doing now. I loved to choreograph the dance — and now I’m choreographing the camera, the actors, the “dance” of a film or a live shoot.

There’s still a dancer in my soul, and there’s a certain joy and peace when I get to bring what I thought were latent talents to the reality of my life today. 

“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.” (Ephesians 3:20, NIV)