I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. [matthew.18v3]

Every little kid has a dream…

To be a fireman, an astronaut, a teacher, a mechanic, a professional athlete, a mom, a cook.

They dress up and play out their dream. They see themselves in that role. They believe they are a fireman. They believe that someday it will come true.

As long as I can remember my dream was to play professional baseball. I’ve been playing organized baseball since I was 4 years old. Not YMCA baseball where there’s never a loser, but competitive baseball where there is a winner and a loser.

I played hard and I believed that one day my name would be called as I ran out to play 2nd base for the Cincinnati Reds. I remember having a Dave Concepcion jersey and thinking that one-day I would take his place. I believed my dream would come true and I lived as though it was possible.

I played little league baseball, high school baseball and even had the opportunity to go on to play college baseball. I hit a home run in college baseball (that was a rush…I still get cold chills thinking about it). My dream was being realized.

And then I quit.

I gave up.

I quit working.

I stopped believing my dream could be a reality.

I started listening to the critics that said I was too small, too slow and simply a kid that needed to move on with reality.

Here’s the point…

We all have dreams. Dreams of what our ministries could look like. God has placed big dreams in us and on our hearts. We see hundreds of college students lives being changed. We see vibrant communities that change the culture of our campuses. We believe that college students can change the world. We see things that no one else sees…we believe things that no one else thinks are possible.

But I’m afraid so many of us…

quit…

give up…

quit working…

stop believing…

We throw in the towel on our dreams.

Jesus calls us to become like little children again.

Dreamers.

Believing that big things can take place.

Seeing the invisible.

Innovators.

World changers.

Believing the impossible can actually be possible.

So, what do you see?

What is your dream?

What crazy idea do you want to try this year? Is there something in that head of yours that everyone else would say is crazy and impossible but you believe God is calling you to give it a shot?

I say, go for it! Dream big! Brainstorm. Cast the vision. And see what happens.

I think the #1 reason we give up on our dreams is because we are afraid of failure. We are scared to death that our idea might bomb. We are terrified that our dream might collapse right in front of our eyes.

Failure is most certainly a possibility but don’t let the fear of failure paralyze you. Push through the fear and see what happens.

If it tanks then move on to the next dream and the next idea. We live and learn. We grow with each and every experience…both successes and failures.

When we let the fear of failure paralyze us, we live our lives always thinking, “What if?”

Every time I see 5’9” Dustin Pedroia from the Boston Red Sox run out to 2^nd base or step into the batters box I think, “What if?”

That’s what the fear of failure does to you.

That is not the life God created you for. That’s not the life Jesus called you to.

As we begin dreaming like children we begin living our lives not thinking, “What if?”, but, “Why not?”

Our faith in a powerful, creative God allows us to live from that place…a place where anything is possible.

I’m reminded of the story of Jesus feeding the 5,000+ hungry and tired people. He lays the responsibility of food preparation in the hands of the disciples and they start thinking in practical terms.

How much will it cost? We don’t have the resources. We don’t have the time. They out number us.

In the crowd there was a little boy who over heard the conversation between Jesus and his disciples. He heard them talking about a problem…these people are hungry and we need to feed them.

The little wheels in his head start spinning…he starts brainstorming…he starts dreaming and then an idea…a dream…I could offer what I have and maybe it could change something.

A little boy.

Holding nothing but his lunch box with a couple fish and a few loaves of bread.

He offers something that appears insignificant, small, unrealistic and laughable.

The little boy took a risk. They could have laughed at him. They could have sent him away. His idea could fail. They probably thought he was irrational.

But he put his idea in the hands of Jesus and something great took place.

Maybe your idea seems insignificant, small, laughable, irrational, unrealistic and risky.

But, I challenge you to put that idea in the hands of Jesus and see what happens.

Jesus says to us…become like children and you will experience the Kingdom of heaven.

Have the mind and heart of a child. Dream big my friends. Believe in those dreams. Place them in the hands of Jesus. Implement those dreams. And watch as something great takes place. Watch as the Kingdom of heaven collides with your world.

[ Blog-a-thon home ]

=======================================

In 2004, God called Justin and his wife to Charlotte, NC to start a church of college students called Impact. He made it clear that there was something missing at UNCC and he wanted to use us to fill that void. So, they obeyed and 6 years later they look around and see so many stories of life-change. Justin and Nicole now have a son, Marcus and a daughter, Maddie, on the way. They are committed to sacrifice anything to see the Kingdom of God become a reality on the campus of UNCC and they believe that college students can change the world. You can follow Justin on Twitter (@jstnwallace) and follow his blog at http://jstnwallace.com. You can learn more about Impact at http://ImpactCharlotte.com.