Hardly Living at All?

   Today, while reading "The Dream Giver" by Bruce Wilkinson, I came across this quote, "The way of the dreamer is difficult-but anything less is hardly living at all!" Those words stopped me in my reading, so much so, that I even put the book down (which really is a rarity for me). Those words seemed to be meant for me today.
   You see, last night, I got the amazing opportunity to be around a bunch of dreamers. Each one of the people I was around had a dream of their own that they are more than just working toward. They are putting their lives into something they know will bring them to the place where they need to be. One person even said, "It's not the potential I have, it's the potential God has to use me." Those words touched my soul. It was as if each one of those people were not just moving forward for themselves, but were moving forward for the higher purpose that God has for them. I thought about it a lot, even after I left. Then today, I was listening to a speaker on a CD, and they were talking about the book I had just started reading. (I also had no idea that the speaker I was listening to would even mention it). When I finished a few things I had to do, in a free moment, I picked up my book, and not too many pages in was when I saw those words. "The way of the dreamer is difficult-but anything less is hardly living at all!"
   These words were convicting. Sometimes I feel like I fit into the group of hardly living at all.  Not that I am not working toward anything, but lately, being in my last semester of nursing school, and dealing with responsibilities, I feel like I have not been as focused on the dream. Yes, I am taking action towards completing things, but has my mindset been where it needs to be? Definitely not. And being a dreamer starts with a mindset. I've kept my ring before me, (see my first blog post for information about that), but am I really living those words of "Love. Cherish. Inspire. Dream."? I feel like I have been more focused on circumstances that may be discouraging, than the path that is taking me to where I will be. I start to try to depend on myself, which obviously leads to worry, instead of letting God take control and lead me to where I need to be. This post may seem very transparent, but maybe this is something you can relate with in your own life.
   So, how do I get from the way of hardly living at all to the way of the dreamer? It all starts with a mindset. Being a dreamer is difficult. I often wonder why some of my circumstances have been difficult. It's almost as if I foolishly go, "Why can't they just give me a nursing degree? Why can't I just automatically be in a position to help other people? Why can't my writing get published now? Why haven't I already accomplished more than I have? Why, Why, Why?" Do you know what this turns into? It turns into a pit of self-pity, that does nothing but tear your mindset apart, and that negative mindset multiplies. All the things that I am working toward may be difficult now, but there is a reason for that. There have been many things in my life that were very difficult, but on the other side of it, I came out a stronger person. What if nursing school did just hand out degrees to anyone that wanted them? I guarantee that would cause a lot of trouble. You see the road to your dreams is going to be a lot more uncomfortable than you would expect it to be. You are not entitled to anything, so what you want to accomplish, you will have to create for yourself.
   This all reminds me of the Bible story of Joseph in Genesis 37. It states, "And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it his brethren: and they hated him yet the more." Joseph dreamed, and followed that dream, and his brothers hated him. As the chapter continues, they actually end up selling him into slavery. All because he had a dream. But did Joseph allow his life to become one of "hardly living at all", or did he take his negative circumstances, keep the right mindset, trust in God, and eventually be in the place where he was supposed to be? He did the second one. God had a specific purpose for him that he could have never accomplished if he had not followed his dream. He grasped the potential that God had for him, and finally realized his dream.
   What about your dreams? What do or did you want to accomplish? Do those dreams far away now? Have you forgotten them? Or are you like me and focusing on the wrong part of chasing your dream? You have the choice, you can live a life of a winner, a dreamer, which will be difficult, or you can live the life of a loser, and hardly live at all. I know that sounds harsh, but what are we doing with our lives if we are not following the higher plan God has for us? I cannot tell you what God has for you, but I can tell you, it may be difficult getting there, but nothing will feel like the peace you get from reaching the potential God has for you. So, don't focus on the difficult. Just remember the difficult is part of getting to where you are going to be. You will appreciate your arrival so much more, and you will be a much stronger person when you get there. You may even help forge a path for someone else following you. It will be worth it, and you will be able to truly say that you have lived. I cannot wait to realize my dreams, and see you realize yours as well!