Church bulletin:
It’s an expression we have heard many times, “living the dream.” It relates to the person who has gained the kind of life they had always imagined and hoped for. Perhaps they are making a living through something they love to do like artwork; maybe they have purchased a grand house with spectacular coastal views; it could be they are finally debt free empty nesters and able to travel regularly overseas. Invariably, people living the dream are living without a view to God and the dream consists of doing what suits them.
Dreams are not real. Dreams are fantasy. The belief that achieving worldly ambitions and idyllic lifestyles will satisfy the deep issues of the heart is fantasy. It can be a good thing to set goals and improve one’s lot in life, but circumstantial changes do not address the purpose and meaning of life. In Ecc 5:3 Solomon says, “a dream comes through much activity.” Dreams are the product of restless minds, always contemplating the way things could be, how good others have it and what we must do to get there. Dreams are never concerned with the blessings we presently enjoy. Dreams are never concerned with how we might glorify God. Ultimately, to be living the dream is to be living the illusion that this world is all there is.
As a new year gets underway, let us not be concerned with dreams but reality. The reality is, the best life is the life spent in communion with the Lord – daily prayer, meditation, rejoicing in Christ, good works. The reality is, God has graciously blessed us over the last twelve months and we ought to consider how we can serve Him over the next twelve months. Time is the gift of God and the gift is in limited supply. No sooner did 2025 commence and it has dissipated before our eyes. Don’t waste your days with fantastical ideas about an idyllic life. Ecc 5:7, “for in the multitude of dreams and many words there is also vanity. But fear God.” Dreamers are like bubbles floating aimlessly on the breeze, their dreams like endless chatter without any substance. Even if they go some way to achieving what they hope for, the pointy end of life always bursts the bubble – illness, loss, relational breakdown, financial troubles, etc. Periods of bleakness and anguish cannot be avoided.
Reminding ourselves of great Biblical realities keeps us grounded, it enables us to stay focused on what is important, it causes us to be fruitful, it produces within us joy, peace, fear, hope and thankfulness.
* Live in the reality that every day God blesses you with much.
* Live in the reality of God’s love and forgiveness.
* Live in the reality of Christ’s victory and your eternal inheritance.
* Live in the reality that today’s opportunities may be gone tomorrow.
* Live in the reality that your loved ones may be gone tomorrow.
* Live in the reality that good works have eternal significance.
* Live in the reality that today may be your last day on earth.
* Live in the reality of a coming judgment.
Reality is the way things actually are. Imagining and pursuing an idyllic life in this fallen world is fantasy.