Dreams

Maybe this observation is too obvious for words, but I’m going to make it, anyway. The reason that following one’s dreams is supposed to be an admirable, brave thing is that life seldom works out how one wants. Risk taking, persistence, and hard work are often a necessary but seldom a sufficient condition. Four out of five new restaurants fail within a year.

Sorry for being so pessimistic on this Saturday morning. It’s a downer, and it gives people the wrong idea. All my entries are implicitly prefaced by, “I know God is sovereign and that he loves us, but…”

A few times lately, I’ve read criticisms of the emphasis that’s been placed on self-esteem for many years in public schools. The people who audition for American Idol are typical of the results. They are terrible singers with no formal training, but when a professional critic tells them the truth, they have the chutzpah to tell him that it’s “just your opinion.”

Follow your dreams and disregard the negative things other people say about you because the universe will bend itself to your will. When it’s put like that, it’s hard to understand why anyone ever thought that this was a good idea.

I wish I had a real, practical answer (instead of platitudes) to the problem that I’m dancing around. I wish I knew how to be passionate about things in God, able to pour myself into them for his glory, and able to let go if he takes them away.