Dreams Redeemedনমুনা

Disappointment and pain have a way of fueling temptation. They leave us more susceptible to our areas of weakness. Whether it be isolating, over-eating, having casual sex, or having a few too many glasses of wine, our desire to anesthetize or escape pain drives us to compromise. We tell ourselves we deserve to feel better.

When we are hurting, we are more inclined to sacrifice the dream for what is temporary. The comfort our vices bring are fleeting and shallow at best, viciously destructive at worst.

There is a scene in the famous opera, La Boehme in which two men are suffering through a brutal winter in Paris. One of them, a writer, has poured countless hours into a body of work. He is so cold he can barely focus on his writing anymore.

Having no money for coal or wood to burn on the fire, in a moment of sheer desperation, the writer thrusts the entire manuscript into the furnace. In seconds, the stack of paper with all of his writing is burned to ashes.

This writer sacrificed his dream, everything he had worked for, for a fleeting moment of comfort. He gave in. 

We see this same pattern in the story of Esau told in Genesis. Exhausted and famished, he returns home to the smell of piping hot lentil stew. Desperate for sustenance, Esau gives up his birthright, all of the privileges, authority and inheritance that came with being firstborn, for some soup. He sacrificed his future for the momentary satisfaction of a full belly. 

Listen, I get it. 

I am tempted to eat my feelings when I am grieving (Many times I give in!).  After my divorce, loneliness left me tempted to lower the bar and compromise in dating. Thankfully, I did not give into this temptation, but it was certainly there. 

When I was losing my home, and on the verge of bankruptcy, a neighbor offered me a job paying 6-figures working in pharmaceutical sales. I was tempted to take the job. But doing so would have meant putting the work of Treasures on the backburner. The temporary comfort of greater financial stability was not worth giving up the purpose God had called me to.  

Sometimes the God dream requires sacrifice. As it turns out, God is more concerned with our character than our comfort level.

We can let the hard things build our character or break it. We can sacrifice the dream for what is temporary, or we can persevere and allow perseverance to strengthen our character and build maturity in us.  

Don’t give up the dream for what is temporary. Don’t let the pain or disappointment cause you to forfeit your dreams for quick fixes and momentary pleasures. Don’t give in. There is too much at stake.

There is freedom on the other end of your faithfulness.  Both for you personally, and for all of the people who will be impacted by you fully living out your purpose!