Takes More Than Dreams

I keep seeing this sign at school that says, "If you can dream it, you can do it." I've seen it attributed to Walt Disney. I've been thinking about that a lot. I just want to say it takes more than dreams. From the looks of the displays in the hall, every little kid, when you ask them what they want to be when they grow up, they want to be something special, like a professional athlete, rock star, ballerina, scientist, teacher, etc. I remember I wanted to be a writer. I had no idea what that might entail. What I'm saying is someone needs to tell children that it takes a lot more than dreaming about something to accomplish it. I also know people who just want to do what they want to do all the time, such as music or art, but find it impossible to do anything that is reliable. They seem to think it's beneath them. This attitude toward life is often described as "following your dreams" or "following your heart," but also can just mean the person with this attitude simply is irresponsible. There is always lots of work to do. And no work is "beneath" people. God gave everybody talents, lots of talents. I think we should honor the grocery store clerks, the auto mechanics and the restaurant workers. It's hard work, and what would we do without them? But our society likes to put people on a pedestal that have made a name for themselves. I think it would be good if we would let children know that success in life is not all about being the best at something, or being a star or being noticed, or popular, or rich or glamorous. Most people work hard every day just to pay their bills, and children in school should realize that what they are doing is just as important as what the "influencers" are doing, or whoever else it is who has "made it big." Nobody's better than anyone else because they have learned how to have many followers or clicks or have won some sort of award. I know what it's like to want to go somewhere in the world. I remember being all puffed up to have my name on a marquee at a restaurant-bar. But you know what's more interesting than that now? Having followed the lead of Jesus Christ into a job I never knew existed, that was tailor-made for me. I don't know exactly what the statistics are but I seem to remember something like 50% to 80% of people polled say they are unhappy in their job. And we know the statistics are similar regarding marital satisfaction, hence, the high divorce rate. Do you wonder why that is? I don't anymore. It's simply a matter of being self-centered, and having the wrong motivation. If your motivation is all about being happy you probably will miss it. If you want to serve others, there you will find something akin to satisfaction. It took me a long time. I wish I hadn't been such a bonehead when I was younger. But I'm glad I am able to pass this along. Find your satisfaction in serving others, not just serving yourself, working hard and doing a good job, starting right now, in school, and your life will be better, guaranteed. Especially if you decide to follow Jesus.