The Way To Help Someone Fulfill His/Her Dream

I think the way to help someone fulfill his/her dream is not really to ask, "So how are you going to do it? What are your plans for accomplishing it?"

You might as well ask an explorer who wants to explore an unknown country whether he's got a map of it and where all the rest stops are. Duh! Of course he can't tell you what it's going to be like - there's no map, no photos, nobody else who has gone that way before.

Especially if it's a journey of faith, in response to God's calling, like Abraham.

When I shared about my dream with one sister, the sister asked me bluntly, "So what are you going to do about it?" I was taken back. I think she meant well, as in her belief was that it is good to have a set of plans. But... I think that picture is inadequate.

Sometimes to launch a dream, you need to talk and share about it more. That we need a chance to articulate our ideals and confess our convictions. The very act of speaking it aloud actually has power - and this is a biblical principle: confessing aloud to others what we believe God has called us to do. It takes courage actually. Sharing about your dreams to others is one step towards seeing it fulfilled.

I think the saying, "No Action Talk Only", in this context, may be highly discouraging. I know our culture values action over talk, but think about it a bit more carefully. Words have power - and what did David the shepherd boy do first before he tried to take on Goliath? He asked around, in an attempt to rally and rouse his countrymen, "What is going to be done for the man who kills this man who insults our God and our army?" Remember he was just a boy - and see what was the outcome.

Maybe a better way to help that someone would be to accompany that person... or give material / moral / spiritual support. To help equip him with whatever you think is needed for the journey ahead. I think whether the person has made grand plans in a sense doesn't really matter so much. What matters is whether the person is taking steps towards that dream, no matter how small or uncertain it may seem.

Remember Abraham's journey? He had to go through a few detours. But through the detours, he never lost sight of his vision. So don't ask the person how come he's not doing what he has set out to do - rather, ask him whether he still has the vision in his heart and his mind.

And even if we still have the God-given vision in our hearts... I think sometimes we Christians may not look like we're doing anything. Because for us Christians, we believe that this is not only about us. God is also our key partner in this venture of faith. There are times when we have to just wait upon Him to see what He wants us to do next. Sometimes the waiting upon Him for guidance can be a far greater test of faith and obedience than doing something. Think Abraham waiting for his Isaac... and succumbing to the shortcut of having sex with his wife's maidservant to fulfill God's promise Abraham's way. And the famous missionary, Jim Elliot, after his graduation from college, chose not to jump straight into finding a job, like the rest of his peers. He chose to wait upon God for half a year, doing odd-jobs and getting concerned questions from his relatives about his joblessness. He chose to wait upon God to see where God wanted him to go next. Because he had the dream of reaching out to a nation that did not know Jesus yet. And the rest is history.

Remember that even if God has called you to do something wonderful, far beyond your wildest dreams... there are times He will lead you on a huge detour. Never lose hope of touching the Promised Land, and even more importantly, never ever lose your faith and return to the land of slavery in your hearts.

And I think, the most important thing would be to help that person to keep focusing on God. Not even the fulfillment of the dream, but upon God. Because if the dream is of human vision, it will not endure, even if it comes to pass. But if it is of God, whoa. Remind the person that all our dreams and hopes must ultimately spring from doing the Father's will. Apart from Jesus we can do nothing. Because in the end it is not about ourselves, but about bringing glory to God.

And that is the difference between the world, and the church.