A few months ago I
received a letter in the mail from a charity asking for a donation. In
the envelope was a thank you gift for the solicited donation. It was a
mini dream catcher, a different token than the usual bits of stationary.
Nonetheless, it was an interesting object.
Being the person that I
am that always has to know the "why", I decided to research the
meaning of the dream catcher. According to dream-catchers.org, the
decorated hoop with strings of feathers was meant to do just as the name
suggested: catch dreams. Hung over a bed at night, the sleeping person’s potential
bad dreams would get caught in the web of the dream catcher while the good
dreams would pour out on to them. While
this Native American ritual sounded interesting at the moment, my mind quickly
wandered to how the term related to every day individuals and the desires of their
hearts. Follow me…
Have you ever had a
vision or dream for something only for it to be torn in to shreds? Perhaps you wanted to be musician, a chef or
a motivational speaker, but your friends and family didn't share your same
vision. Instead of motivating you
towards your dream, they speak doubt and negativity to you until the desire is
gone. Dream Catchers. Instead of capturing the bad and pouring out
good, people do the exact opposite. Society
today calls these individuals “haters” and the urban dictionary defines them as
people that simply cannot be happy for another person’s success; so rather than
be happy they make a point of exposing a flaw in that person”. (www.urbandictionary.com)
I remember graduating from high school with a passion for medicine.
I had a scholarship to one of the top universities in the nation in their
pre-med program. At the family
celebration event, some of the adults came to me to give me advice and
encouragement for the next phase of my life.
If I only knew then what I know now, I would have recognized that one of
them was a reverse "dream catcher". My
conversation with the family friend resulted in me having a fear of the future
and a false reality that I was not equipped mentally, intellectually and
financially to become a physician.
At 17, I wasn't as
confident in the Word as I am today. The
Word says that the Creator of the universe has a plan for us and if we delight
in Him and entertain His thoughts, He
will give us the desires of our hearts. (Jeremiah 29:11, Psalm 37:4) We have to surround ourselves with positive
people and hold on to God’s promises.
The bible says that all things are possible with God. (Matthew 19:26) The last I checked, the definition of all
meant everything. Which means, with God,
EVERYTHING is possible. Be discerning of
who the dream catchers are in your life and allow God’s Word to pour blessings
in to your life instead.
Needless to say, I did
not become a doctor. I went on to get a
degree in business management and have a fulfilling career. God has deposited new desires in to my heart
and every day I get closer to seeing them come true.
Be encouraged! If God is for us, who can be against us? (Romans 8:31)
Be encouraged! If God is for us, who can be against us? (Romans 8:31)
