What? We have all grown up hearing the advice “Dream Big”. “Go after your dreams and don’t let anyone stop you. Reach for the skies!” There is a new Christian song out called “Dream Small.” It wasn’t until I heard the origin of the song that I understood and even became an advocate.
In the Christian world, we are supposed to go out and spread the Good News. This means that by simply accepting Christ into your life and becoming a follower, you can live with God for eternity in Heaven. Sounds like good news to me! Knowing and understanding that Christ died on the cross to erase and pay for all the sins we humans have committed or will commit. Doing good deeds for the sake of getting to Heaven is not necessary. Earning your way there is not required. Just follow Him, obey Him. When you screw up, own it, turn things around (that’s where the word “repent” comes from), ask for forgiveness and move on. God’s grace and mercy do not give you the right to continue to practice the sinful behavior. You must turn away from it and choose better the next time. Not an impossible task.
Some Christians ( me included) believe or believed that we had to do some grand thing in order to please God. That our assignment of spreading the Good News meant mission trips, becoming a pastor, selling all of your worldly goods to travel around the world and help others. Many people do these things and most of them are amazing human beings. Do understand that not everyone who appears selfless and to be living a godly life is actually who they say they are. They are more like the Pharisees, an ancient Jewish sect in Jesus’ s time who held strictly to the religious laws of the day but at the same time made a practice of flaunting their piety. Many prayed in the streets to show off. Needless to say, Jesus was never impressed. In fact he often challenged them. He likened them to whitewashed graves, pretty on the outside but dead on the inside. We should never brag about our selfless acts; i.e. don’t do good to look good.
Here is what is meant by dreaming small. Do a kindness for someone in need. Help a person less fortunate than yourself. Give to people who have little when you are blessed to have much. Volunteer for a project like cleaning up an elderly person’s yard or go grocery shopping for them. Make it a practice to lift others up rather than tear them down. Think less of yourself and more of someone else. Start at home. This is what marriage is supposed to be like. Waking up in the morning and thinking what can I do today to make his/her life better? Very few of us ever think that way but give it a try. If you do it often enough, it will become a habit.
I meet with my daughter-in-law and grandkids once a week just to hang out after she gets off work. I always look forward to it. Sometimes we go to Target, sometimes a park or the mall. It really doesn’t matter to me. I just love being with all of them. Yesterday was that day. Plans were made where to meet and I was joyful in anticipation. Then a few hours before meeting I received a text from her asking if I wouldn’t mind coming over to their house instead and watching the kids while she took a nap. She gets up at 3:15 am every work day and the night before one of the kids had kept them up most of the night so she had only gotten 1 1/2 hours sleep, then worked her 8 hour shift. Of course I agreed. I would be hard pressed to turn down any request from her, I love her that much. But a small part of me was disappointed. I would miss spending time with her out and about somewhere.
I got over that and willingly met them at the house. Well, I have to tell you, I had such a wonderful time playing with the kids that when I left, my heart was overflowing. It turned out to be a very special day and one I am deeply grateful for.
Small things like helping out your daughter-in-law when she needs rest can turn into an amazing gift. Do your small helpful things with an open, joyous heart. Dream small. It will make you feel big. God bless.