The Challenge of Achieving The Dream –
Sometimes we act as if achieving the dream is the end result. What if it is only a plateau to other things? Those things could be more dreams and more achievements for God. However, the road to achieving the dream could be lined with woes leading to more woes if we actually do get that dream.
For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment let us be therewith content. But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
1 Timothy 6:7-10
(In Part 1), we talked about the man who built bigger barns, but lost his soul. Now, let’s look at the here and now – the potential for “many sorrows that have pierced some through.” If you are going to chase a dream, you’d better be sure you look before you leap.
I recently did some research into the world of publishing. I investigated the possibility of making all my future books returnable. Big retail chains expect that, and who wouldn’t want to have a best seller on those shelves?
If you use a publisher, the publisher takes all the risks. Let’s say however, that you want to self-publish and take the risk yourself. You can definitely do that, and you’d initially make more money off each copy. But what if a store returned tens of thousands of copies? You’d be expected to give them a refund. If you don’t already have a lot of sales, you’d be in a huge hole financially, and you’d have a lot of copies to store. This is not to say that it’s not doable. It is, but you’d better know what you are doing.
Chasing a dream and greed are 2 frames of mind that should not ever dance.
What if your dream is to purchase something? That something could come with huge support costs. Part of my dream includes a building. That building comes with: insurance costs, property taxes, heat and air conditioning expenses, etc. Even if someone gave me the building today, I’d have to continually create lots of revenue to support it. Is that a job I want to create for myself?
Another challenge to achieving a dream is the potential for it to change you when you do. People who achieve great wealth often fall into unhealthy, sinful lifestyles. Many suffer broken marriages. Some become addicts.
There’s also the potential for those who share the wealth inappropriately to not only ruin their own life, but also the lives of others who fall into the same traps. Consider the children of famous folks and how often they are overwhelmed by the fame and fortune. Consider folks who cannot manage money. When they are giving a lump sum of money, they may take on debts they cannot afford. Such is the case with many sweepstakes winners.
LIFE APPLICATION
The challenge is to keep your motives pure. Examine them often. Keep your thinking clear, and keep perspective. Don’t let the dream blind you. Instead, look before you leap. Don’t throw money at the money problems of others. Realize that God may be working something out, and that money can ruin them as easily as it can ruin you. Instead, help them to address the root cause of their problem – spiritual, financial, or otherwise – in a healthy way.