Live the Dream

Now I never meant,
To do you wrong,
That's what I came here to say.
But if I was wrong,
Then I'm sorry,
I don't let it stand in our way.
As my head just aches,
When I think of,
The things thatShouldn't have done.
But, life is for living,
We all know,
And I don't wanna live it alone.
Sing, Ah, ah, oh, Sing, Ah, ah, oh, And just think, Ah, ah, oh. (Life is for Living... Coldplay)

There is a truth in this song that we all know... That life is for living... But so many of us settle for a lame existence. We settle for a shadow of what life can really mean and be about.

Yet at the same time we all by into the lie that our culture has brainwashed us into beliveing that we can live our dreams, that we can be whatever we want to be, that we can all be superstars of the stage, sport or screen. This is a lie simply because we can't all do the things we want. We have to compromise at times doing what's best rather than following our dreams. We all have to play our part in the mundane reality of everyday life in order that we all might live. We need the supermarket assistants who sell us food for our bodies as well as the musicians who sell us the food for our souls.

Yet there is a discrepency here. We want to live the dream yet we give up on living, settling for things that aren't our dreams. Maybe we have lost the enthusiasm for living. Maybe the hunger for life. Maybe its because our dreams are so often hollow and selfish. Jesus said that he came to bring life and life to the full. But so many of us struggle to live anywhere close to the reality of this.

Faith is an adventure. Faith is about living in God's plans and will for your life. When we do this we get closer to living the dream. Not our dream but God's dream. This dream encapsulates our dreams building on them, revealing a side to them that we never expected. When we live out God's dream we find a purpose and meaning that others lack and long for. Probably the thing that should define Christians more than anything is their willingness to trust in God. To become part of the adventure of journeying with God. Not knowing where the path will lead, but enjoying the route that we are being led on.

This adventure leads us from selfishness to selflessness, from our dreams to God's dreams, from the small picture to the big vision. In a paradoxical way we find fulfilment when we stop thinking of ourselves and start serving others, when we stop taking and start giving, when we live in the significance of God's vision rather than opur own. As I think about the high points in my life they have all involved me taking a step to give something of myself for the benefit of others, my marraige, my work, Kenya 2003, the list goes on. In a funny way though I am blessed through these things as I serve, as I give. I find that I am fulfilled as I show others a glimpse of God's love and grace. 'Freely you have received freely give'. If we want to know what life to the full is all about then we need to start living the adventure of faith, start seeking to serve the people we encounter start giving rather than taking. We need to seek grace, be grace, and give grace...