Dreams are a funny thing. As kids, we dream big. We have aspirations to become President of the United States, to play shortstop for our favorite baseball team or to be that famous actor or actress. As time goes by, we are influenced by the world around us and so are our dreams.

Some where along the way we learn to “grow up” and “be responsible” and leave our dreams behind. I think we do this mostly because of the fears we carry around with us regarding our dreams. We get to the point, as adults, that we bury our dreams because we fear what might happen if we even verbalize them.

What are these fears and how do they affect us? I don’t claim to be an expert and I’m not sure I have any viable answers. I am going to try to share my journey in chasing my dreams in hopes that you will find some encouragement and courage to chase yours.

• We fear failure.
  Most of us get to the point that we stop dreaming because we are so worried about failing. There have been times in my life where I have been so paralyzed by my fear of failure that I just stopped moving forward. When it comes down to it, my failure to dream is actually me failing at my dream, and I believe it is the worst kind of failure.
• We fear success.
  I know, sounds like I’m one big contradiction. There have been times when I have derailed my own dreams because I fear what might actually happen if they come true.
• We fear the unknown.
  How many times have we given up on something when the path doesn’t look like we thought it would or go how we have prescribed it would go in our “10 year plan”? We carry around that attitude of “If I can’t have it go my way, I want it no way.”
• We fear the critics.
  Raise your hand if you’ve ever abandoned a plan or dream because of the fear of what “they” will say. Who are “they” anyway? Whoever they are, they sure do have a strong hold on our ability to dream. I know that at times I’ve set aside dreams that God has clearly placed in my heart because of the fear of what my critics would say. Looking back, it makes NO SENSE to ignore the ONLY opinion that matters for the handful of critics that will ALWAYS be present in our lives.

When push comes to shove, the moment we stop dreaming we start dying. I want to be a man who embraces God’s dreams for me until the moment the last breath leaves my body. I’ll be honest, I am thinking a lot about God’s dreams for me right now. I’m processing the dreams I firmly believe God has placed in me and I’m struggling with every one of these fears. I’ve been reluctant to even share my dreams with anyone.  I’ve feared mentioning anything about my dreams here on the blog because I’m worried what “they” will say. I’m struggling with these very issues and I am praying for boldness and courage to chase God’s dreams for me.

Thoughts?