It’s been awhile…you now are in the “real” world with a “real” job doing “real” work. At the end of the day you come home, enjoy dinner with your family (some may not even truly enjoy it), watch a rerun of a sitcom and maybe your fav show of the week. Before you know it’s past your bedtime. You’re a little too tired to stay up for Leno, Letterman, Jimmy Fallon so you head off to bed. But first you walk to the bathroom, soak your dentures and remove your toupee and place it on your Robert E. Lee bust sitting on your dresser. You ask yourself where 2010 has gone…
Just before turning off the light you catch a glimpse of yourself in the mirror. You take an extra minute and really look. You’re reminded that time really stops for no one and that the person you’re looking at in the mirror is a little older than how you imagine yourself everyday….it’s time for a gut check…..Where are you in your life and what are you doing as the steward of this life your Creator trusted you own?
The person you’re staring at in the mirror doesn’t really look like you. Is that really you deep down in that body? The outside you doesn’t really look like the inside you. That’s when it hits you…
It hits you…and rattles you…and makes you start asking questions that only you can answer.
What are you doing with you? The you your Creator intended and designed and hopes you are.
You didn’t ask my opinion but I can’t help but interject something while you’re talking to yourself. What do you dream about doing and being? Hell…do you even still dream? I remember when you would tell me about this crazy idea that kept you awake at night and sounded just off the wall enough that it got my attention and made me ask questions.
When do people see the spark in your eye, hear the excitement in your voice, and can’t help but want to be a part of at that very moment? Don’t substitute some memory or emotional kick into it to throw me off. That substitute you’re throwing in there doesn’t ramp you up like the real dream did and I’m asking you to remember.
Remember that tractor beam of an idea that had consumed you. Where is the dream now? Is it buried in the trunk of your car in that box of old books you’ve been meaning to get to Goodwill? You wrote it down somewhere…sketched it out on a napkin…journaled it….charted it….mapped it…talked my ear off about it…
…someone recently told me they liked my ability and willingness to toss the grenade into the room. I’ll use that as a blatant segue to throw a grenade in front of your mirror and ask you to do that gut check on yourself and remember. Remember the dreams, remember the crazy ideas, do something to jar yourself into a reality check…if you’ve seen the movie Inception I’m talking about a “kick” that brings you back to reality…(plug for Inception)
You’re wondering who I’m talking about and if it’s you that I’m addressing with this plea…and without sounding like the ol’ Pentecostal pastor giving the blanket altar call to fill the altars with live bodies because no one responded in his first altar call…yes I’m talking to you.
Do something today or this weekend that’s going to knock you senseless! Go find one of those 180 degree mirrors in the mall and look at yourself….or just sit in the dark at 4:30am….Do you recognize who you see in the mirror? Do you recognize the person you’ve been acting like this past year? Is this the person you want your kids to remember when you’re gone? What are you modeling for those watching? What would that person with the crazy idea tell the person you are today? Would they punch you square in the face for who you’ve become or walk away with their head hung low in disappointment or put their arm around you and encourage you?
Let’s bring this little chat to a close. I know that everyone reading this has had a crazy couple of years…from job losses, new marriages, loss of family members, new cities, home losses, new babies, broken promises, new jobs, new friends, health issues, healings, and yes…even hair loss. I’m going to ask you to allow me to talk to that person who used to talk about those crazy ideas and dreams so that I can ask them to wake up…and despite all the “clutter” from the past couple of years…
wake up and dream… again.
Just before turning off the light you catch a glimpse of yourself in the mirror. You take an extra minute and really look. You’re reminded that time really stops for no one and that the person you’re looking at in the mirror is a little older than how you imagine yourself everyday….it’s time for a gut check…..Where are you in your life and what are you doing as the steward of this life your Creator trusted you own?
The person you’re staring at in the mirror doesn’t really look like you. Is that really you deep down in that body? The outside you doesn’t really look like the inside you. That’s when it hits you…
It hits you…and rattles you…and makes you start asking questions that only you can answer.
What are you doing with you? The you your Creator intended and designed and hopes you are.
You didn’t ask my opinion but I can’t help but interject something while you’re talking to yourself. What do you dream about doing and being? Hell…do you even still dream? I remember when you would tell me about this crazy idea that kept you awake at night and sounded just off the wall enough that it got my attention and made me ask questions.
When do people see the spark in your eye, hear the excitement in your voice, and can’t help but want to be a part of at that very moment? Don’t substitute some memory or emotional kick into it to throw me off. That substitute you’re throwing in there doesn’t ramp you up like the real dream did and I’m asking you to remember.
Remember that tractor beam of an idea that had consumed you. Where is the dream now? Is it buried in the trunk of your car in that box of old books you’ve been meaning to get to Goodwill? You wrote it down somewhere…sketched it out on a napkin…journaled it….charted it….mapped it…talked my ear off about it…
…someone recently told me they liked my ability and willingness to toss the grenade into the room. I’ll use that as a blatant segue to throw a grenade in front of your mirror and ask you to do that gut check on yourself and remember. Remember the dreams, remember the crazy ideas, do something to jar yourself into a reality check…if you’ve seen the movie Inception I’m talking about a “kick” that brings you back to reality…(plug for Inception)
You’re wondering who I’m talking about and if it’s you that I’m addressing with this plea…and without sounding like the ol’ Pentecostal pastor giving the blanket altar call to fill the altars with live bodies because no one responded in his first altar call…yes I’m talking to you.
Do something today or this weekend that’s going to knock you senseless! Go find one of those 180 degree mirrors in the mall and look at yourself….or just sit in the dark at 4:30am….Do you recognize who you see in the mirror? Do you recognize the person you’ve been acting like this past year? Is this the person you want your kids to remember when you’re gone? What are you modeling for those watching? What would that person with the crazy idea tell the person you are today? Would they punch you square in the face for who you’ve become or walk away with their head hung low in disappointment or put their arm around you and encourage you?
Let’s bring this little chat to a close. I know that everyone reading this has had a crazy couple of years…from job losses, new marriages, loss of family members, new cities, home losses, new babies, broken promises, new jobs, new friends, health issues, healings, and yes…even hair loss. I’m going to ask you to allow me to talk to that person who used to talk about those crazy ideas and dreams so that I can ask them to wake up…and despite all the “clutter” from the past couple of years…
wake up and dream… again.
