In your dreams…

Language tells us a lot about ourselves. Take the three little words “in your dreams”. They really mean, “Don’t even think about it – it’s not going to happen.” It’s a pretty gloomy view of the world and assumes a planet where dreams don’t come true. And if dreams don’t come true, why bother having them. Think small, have low expectations, and you won’t be disappointed.

But each time we say “in your dreams” we should have a bit of a look around first. Are we saying it at the airport? It wasn’t that long ago that flying was dismissed with an “in your dreams”. Even Wilbur Wright told his brother Orville that “Not within a thousand years would man ever fly” – but then they went ahead and did it anyway. Some dreams come true.

Years ago I was impacted by Leon Uris’s magnificent book Trinity (1976) which explores the then seemingly insurmountable troubles facing Ireland. Perhaps you remember the haunting final line of this 900 page epic: “For you see, in Ireland there is no future, only the past happening over and over.” Peace in Ireland – in your dreams. But April marked the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement which brought peace to Northern Ireland after decades of sectarian violence. In the decade to 2022 Ireland’s economy was the fastest growing in the world (the test was limited to countries with reliable economic data). Sure, it’s still an island with two countries, the independent Republic of Ireland, and Northern Ireland (part of the UK), but both are faring well. Some dreams come true.

And I couldn’t possibly miss Martin Luther King’s famous “I have a dream” speech. Do you remember some of its famous lines? “So even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream. I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal… I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream today.” In your dreams? Hmmm, tough one this. Racism is still far too alive, but we have come a way, and must continue to work for the fulfilment of King’s dream.

For some, hope is an entirely future category. Eschatology at its worst sees Christian’s longing to flee this planet, and having little interest in its welfare. If heaven is in the air and this globe is set for burning, why bother with what happens in the now if what really matters is “in the sweet by and by”. Fortunately the Bible requires us to have a more rigorous portrait of the future, one where a new heaven and a new earth unite, and God’s dwelling place is among the people (Rev 21). It might be a new earth, but it still goes by the title earth and has much that is continuous with it. Jesus teaches us to pray each day: “Your Kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth, as it is in heaven” (Matt 6:10). As it is in heaven – in your dreams? No, it’s a prayer that we are supposed to back with our actions. That doesn’t happen if we fling our hands in the air and say, “too hard” or “never in a 1000 years”.

To be human is to carry two key identities. Genesis 2 describes if graphically. God takes dust from the earth and shapes us from it. It’s a rather ordinary portrait. We are just dust. But then God breathes life into this dust. Who are we? We are both the dust of the earth and the breath of God. As people of dust we are frail, vulnerable and fickle. But when animated by the breath of God – well that’s a very different portrait. That’s when dreams come true.

In your dreams… well, do dream. Because no one dreams bigger than God. And God has told us to pray: “Your Kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” And God answers the prayers of dreamers.

As always, nice chatting…

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