All men dream but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds awake to find that it was vanity; But the dreamers of day are dangerous men, that they may act their dreams with open eyes to make it possible. –T. E. Lawrence
Our world needs daydreamers daring to dream dangerously.
The table of history is seasoned with men and women who have dared to dream of a world better than this; who have been emboldened by their visions to live life defiantly in the face of the status quo and have courage enough to ask an Almighty God to change His creation through them. Adding much needed and exquisite God-flavor to their surroundings, they have brought vivid color to a world of dull and dingy black and white and stirred the imaginations of those audacious enough to follow in their footsteps– encouraging those who come afterwards to take a hold of hope and visualize a world better than the one we live in.
I’m inspired by each of them. I want to dare to dream dangerously.
Dreamers, from Walt Disney to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., from Mohandas Ghandi to Rev. Billy Graham to Mother Teresa, have quite literally changed the world by envisioning a state of affairs better than before. The impression they have left on countless millions–their global emotional and spiritual footprint, if you will–is immeasurable. Yet each of them set out not to stroll onto the stage of international superstardom or sainthood, but simply to right what was wrong in the world in which they lived. We need today such men and women who have not just familiar vision and foresight but that possess a courage, conviction, and passion to engage the injustices of our present society.
This generation longs for a sense of belonging; it values authenticity, transparency and humility; it emphasises praxis over dogma, it values deeds over creeds; it admires kingdom thinkers rather than empire builders; it finds meaning in the uncertain valleys of ambiguity, paradox, metaphor, mystery, and artistic creativity; it expects and even demands meaningful engagement with those who strive to lead them; it views the Bible as the story of God’s redemptive purpose rather than the repository of propositional truth.
That’s this generation. And it’s waiting for you to lead.
It’s waiting for you to dream.
I’ve committed myself to daring to dream dangerously. I am convinced that as I do so, not only will my life change, but the lives of those around me will as well. As I influence the relationships in the arena of my existence, I am convinced that we can collectively change the world. I might be crazy. I might be idealistic. I might be a radical. I might even be a bit of a biblical heretic.
But I’m daring to dream dangerously.
I dream that God can and will move in, through, and around us. I dream that He can and will reform His Church. I dream that He can and will redeem all of creation unto Himself.
I dream of Heaven. On Earth.
I dream that a community of Followers of the Way can and will usher in the Kingdom of God by running hard after Jesus Christ. I dream of a day when those who claim to follow Him are defined not by their religious codes and creeds but by their conduct and love one for each other and Others. I dream of a day when the chief purpose of our being is to meet the needs of those around us, thus honoring the One who created life. I dream of a day when the Church has been restored to comfortably and confidently fulfill her role as the Bride of Jesus Christ. I dream of Christ followers living in a supernatural, divine unity that transcends our human understanding and tendency toward division, that we would be one just as the Father and the Son are One–that in this unity we might be found complete and made whole as Jesus prayed in John 17. I dream that we may live out the principles of Kingdom Living found in Jesus’ sermon on the mount and in the end of Acts chapter 2.
I dream that this will happen in my world. In my day.
In this generation.
I dream that we can and will live out the abundant life Christ has in store for us–to love God and love Others above all else, and that in every decision we make and every action we take; in every conversation we have, this divine love would shine forth. I dream that we can and will fulfill our calling to bring hope to the afflicted; to mend the brokenhearted; to proclaim freedom to the captives and liberty to those who are held in chains; to comfort those who are in mourning; to feed the hungry and to clothe the naked; to be a beacon of hope and light in a world afflicted with darkness and despair.
In the words of a magnificent man who dared to dream dangerously whom I regretfully never had the opportunity to meet,
“We are not here for ourselves alone, but as necessary fragments of divine love, working together to rebuild lives and communities. I am convinced that we are here to do something, to extend ourselves for the Kingdom.”
–J. Andrew Cole, RISE Founder
Heaven. On Earth. You must think I’m idealistic. Radical. Crazy. A dreamer.
I’m proudly all of those things. Many others are as well.
Our world needs daydreamers daring to dream dangerously.
And it’s waiting for you to dream.
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Michael Kimpan is the author of the WayWard Follower blog, a site designed to inspire thoughtful conversation and movement among followers of Jesus Christ. Michael worships and is heavily involved in volunteer ministry at Richwoods Christian Church in Peoria, IL.