Oh, do I admire the way that I can dream.

The future; tomorrow seems so pleasant.

The day begins as I open my eyes waiting to conquer the world. I feel refreshed. I get ready with lots of time to spare. My time with Jesus is filled with laugher, revelation, and even a few heartfelt tears. I cook breakfast so timely, one perfect egg with an awakening cup of black coffee. Driving to work, there's no traffic and I make it before I am scheduled to arrive. I get to spend more uninterrupted time with Jesus. Then work begins. It smiles and I smile back. The echoes of a job well done follow me throughout my day. Wonderful conversations. Lots of productivity. A healthy lunch (without a dime spent). Supplemented energy continues to bounce inside. The smile never leaves my face. Joy abounds within. It's a good day, even the weather agrees as my hair stays as I had placed it. My outfit compliments my eyes and skin...

Doesn't that just sound so nice? Everything coming together so perfectly. That's what I would have liked a nice December day to look like. But it didn't.

The day begins as I open my eyes an hour before my alarm. I struggle to get the remaining sleep. My alarm goes off, but I don't hear it until 15 minutes later. Snooze. Another 30 minutes passes. I wake up and get ready. There's no eggs and no time to make coffee, so I grab an orange and head to work. Traffic is normal. It takes me an hour to get to there. My breakfast routine still haunts me, so I find an egg and I make it at work. I spend time with Jesus and it's so good. Then work begins. I'm confused. I feel lost. Misunderstandings arise and my walk turns into a helpless hobble. I don't know how to answer for my feelings. Most people don't notice. Alone, I feel okay. I try to get my mind hooked on joy. I can do this. Again, I can't. The world doesn't need more people like me. Feeling floppy and red from tears...

Sound relatable? I would say that my real day is definitely more accurate for most of us than the first scenario that I had dreamed up.

DREAMING = HOPING

I think that another word that we can replace for dream, is hope. And hope is something that, as trial-proof as it may be in the beginning, can turn up in flames. And when this happens, over and over again, we lose it, life seems useless, we can become depressed, and no longer fun to be around, either pushing people away naturally or purposefully.

I've seen it happen so many times. People carry hurt from expectations and hopes not being met.

Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a dream fulfilled is a tree of life. Proverbs 13:12

The Word tells us that when our dreams see failure our hearts feel it. This is why it is so important that we set our hopes on Jesus. When our hopes and dreams are set on Him, we can go into tomorrow with joy and peace.

Don't think though, that having the same dreams and hopes and expectations with a sprinkle of hope in Jesus will all the sudden set you up for success.

Putting our lives completely in Jesus is what changes us. It's dipping our heart fully in, like a pretzel dunked in chocolate. His goodness covers our hopes.

When our hope is rooted in Him, everything else from our heart and mind will stem from that hope. It's a tree that grows. Our hope in Him will shade every part of us as we grow and mature in Christ.

So, what I'm not saying is to stop hoping that you have the best of days, but to in fact know that beyond all things, being with Him is our greatest hope.

Being with Jesus is my biggest dream.

All other dreams, when crushed, can't effect the most important thing.

Me + Jesus, Jesus + Me.

Plus, Jesus is sooo much better to dream about than all of the little things.

(He's always been dreaming of you.)