Dreams

Everyone has their dreams and aspirations. Everyone knows how to dream—and wants to dream.

As a child, Aaron Hotchner loved to dream. It took him somewhere else—somewhere where he belonged.

His family wasn’t exactly like what most people thought it was. They thought his family had: pushy parents, an extremely well behaved son and another son which never behaved. They were half right. He did have pushy parents and a misbehaving brother. However, they failed to see that he had parents with overly high expectations—overly strong desires for their sons to be perfect.

His parents had many dreams for him. It was almost like he was simply a picture with ready made photo frames to go into. There were many frames: golden ones, silver ones, ones made of diamond or rubies. His parents forced him into the many frames. For example, Cambridge–the frame with rubies, Harvard-The frame with golden plating. But by now, Hotch is a broken picture—in the frame with sharp corners and a rusted front.

His parents had been angry—very angry. They would scold him, point out his faults and tie him down with weights. They told him over and over again: “A boy is not allowed to dream.” They told him: “Aaron be a man.” So Hotch tried. Oh yes he did! He wiped the subtle grin off his face (perhaps that would make him look manlier). He no longer wandered off into another world when he slept. He stayed in the same world where reality was all that mattered.

When he grew slightly older, he hid behind the family shed and stared at the clouds. Oh no—he wasn’t dreaming. He was imagining. He could see the shapes. He could feel them changing in his head.

Now, he worked hard. There was no dreams. No “I hope” (in front of his parents) because that would mean that he was dreaming.

Hotch knew better than anyone else “A boy is not allowed to dream.”

Yet, still, he dreams.

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Do you have a dream? Or has your dream been long shattered that you no longer dare to dream? Dreams play an important part in our lives. They motivate us to keep on moving forward. They uplift us with the hope that there will be a better tomorrow.

Remember the Bible character—Joseph the Dreamer? He dreamed a dream that his brothers and father did not believe. As a result, he was accused of being a liar. Yet, he carried on dreaming and believing.

Similarly, God has given each of us talents and gifts. Create a dream based on these God-given talents. Use them well. If you already have a dream and are raring to go, be patient and wait. Joseph’s received his dream at the age of seventeen, but he only got to live out his dream when he was approximately thirty-seven. He had a good twenty years of waiting and training. Hence, do not be discouraged when difficulties or barriers get in the way of you living out your dream. During Joseph’s twenty years of waiting, he was thrown into a pit, sold as a slave, became a prisoner, then worked in the palace as the decoder of Pharaoh’s dreams. These are necessary detours to prepare Joseph for what he was to become. On hindsight, Joseph said,

“You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good.
He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people”
(Genesis 50:20).

So, despite the many difficulties, keep your dreams alive and keep moving forward.
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I dream. N my dreams are big and strong. But my dreams are simple.
That is, create a family, God as a leader in family. Everyone love one another. Peace always in family. Successful job. Live in a dream house. And most of all, stay healthy and strong everyday.