It can be fairly complicated deciphering what path God wants us to follow. How do we know when the desires we have are simply “selfish wants” or God-given longings? How do we know when the dreams we have are good and wholesome?
Sometimes I think our dreams can simply be selfish wants–when all we think about with our dream is ourselves and don’t consider why we want what we want. Do we desire to achieve a goal simply to make ourselves look good and/or just to make more money? Or do we desire to reach a goal with the main intention of using it to spread the Good News of Christ?
I think there’s a reason God gives us desires, passions, and longings, and overall, I think most of our dreams are God given. For God wouldn’t create dreams if they weren’t meant to be chased!
The trick is making sure we pursue our dream without making it THE pursuit of our lives. The main pursuit of our lives should be Christ, and if our dream isn’t in line with that pursuit, then it’s probably not something that’s going to be good for us in the long run.
One example of someone using his dream in the right way is my good friend, Mike Lacoste (aka Da MAC). Mike came to Christ in college and joined my fraternity (BYX) soon after. As Mike continued to grow as a Christian, he decided to use his passion for music and performance to spread the Good News of Christ.
Mike played several small shows during college and his talent blew me away! His concerts weren’t only professionally done and well-executed, but were also a blast to go to! I could tell Mike was a true talent from the beginning and remember thinking to myself what a shame it would be if Mike didn’t get to use his gifts in the maximum way after he graduated.
Sadly, as graduation neared, it seemed like Mike’s dream of becoming a Christian rapper would inevitably end once his college career did. For the risk and sacrifice it would take to pursue such a dream would be a scary and uncertain venture to take on–especially after obtaining a “safer” college diploma that seemed to be the more practical thing to use instead.
Thankfully, Mike decided to take a leap of faith and pursue his dream despite what conventional wisdom might have said. Now, Da MAC tours the country performing his music and is changing lives with each stop he makes! (You can check out Da MAC’s upcoming show schedule by clicking here).
I’m so happy Mike decided to pursue his dream. I can tell he’s loving life and has no regrets about following God’s will for him. Mike is a perfect example of pursuing a dream with all the right intentions, and I’m sure he has no idea of the amount of fruit he’s bearing for the Kingdom of God through his efforts.
Check him out for yourself…
I think Mike’s example can help us all reflect on how we can use our own dreams in a similar fashion by asking ourselves…
1) What are the unique passions and talents God has given me?
2) How can I use the passions and talents God has given me to bring Him glory and to help others?
3) How can I ensure my motivations are pure and I don’t make the dream I’m chasing the main pursuit of my life at God’s expense?
It’s good to have dreams and it’s good to have passions–I believe we all have them for a reason! Pray about your dream, reflect about your dream, and GO FOR YOUR DREAM when you realize it’s what God wants you to do!
Why settle for anything less?
-BH
Brady Hammond 