Pessimism sucks! It does no one any good. No one is blessed by pessimism, but unrealistic optimism is not very helpful either. Realism is crucial. So, in my view, realistic optimism is the best disposition to possess.
But sometimes, even realistic dreams don't feel very realistic - at least not in the beginning. And it seems to me that very few people have the capacity to see what possibilities might lie ahead. Once he left the Beatles and went solo, John Lennon wrote the song "Imagine". Lyrically and musically it is a masterpiece. The lyrics are a masterpiece, but they aren't very realistic. After all, Lennon is only asking us to imagine. He is not telling us that any of his optimistic ideas are even possible. He admits he is a dreamer. As I mentioned above, dreams are crucial, but many of us are unable to imagine the things that dreams are made of. So we need those visionary types to help spur our imaginations. But the dreams that have any chance of coming true should at least be rooted in reality and most of what Lennon imagines is far from realistic - at least for the next several hundred years.
But a few years before Lennon's song was released, another man had a dream. His name was Martin Luther King Jr. And though his dream has not yet been realized, it is far more realistic than Lennon's and I do believe there is a real possibility that much of what he hoped for in his famous speech from 1963 can be realized in the lifetime of my daughter Ashlyn, if not before. In fact, much of it has already become true, at least partially.
I consider myself to be a dreamer, but one whose dreams are rooted in reality. I am optimistic, but not naïve. I believe that people have the capacity to change (I've seen change in my own life and in the lives of those closest to me) and if people can change, then whole communities can change for the better. So, if I were to borrow from both MLK and John Lennon, what might I dream? What might I imagine? My dreams are rooted in my vocation as a minister, and so I imagine a better future for my church community.
I have a dream that one day we will all put as much time, energy, and passion into our faith as we do our jobs and our hobbies. I have a dream that our commitment to Christ and his people will not be rooted in our circumstances, but instead in our relationship with Christ and our fellow brothers and sisters. I have a dream that one day, to riff on another 60's icon, we will not ask what our church can do for us, but what we can do for our church.
Imagine if our spiritual family was as important to us as is our physical family. How might that transform our relationship to the church? I have a dream that one day being a member of the church is to be a valued member of a community - a community where all of life is shared, both the triumphs and the struggles.
Imagine if we all continued to grow in our knowledge and understanding to the point where we all had a mature understanding of scripture and theology! Of course, we would never assume that we have arrived. Just the opposite! The more we would grow, the more we would become aware of how much more we need to grow! What would it be like in our Christian communities if there were no questions which were off limits? I have a dream that one day, followers of Jesus, will feel just as comfortable expressing their doubts and fears as they do the things they are fully convinced of. Imagine if instead of judging the theology and doctrine of those with whom we disagree, we instead allowed their perspective to help us grow in our faith.
I have a dream that one day, we will love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, strength, and mind. I imagine that some day, we might all love our neighbors as ourselves and do to them what we would have them do to us. Imagine what it will be like when our Lord Jesus returns and God's will is done on earth as it is in heaven. Imagine what it might be like if we all began to (imperfectly) live into that reality now. And to quote a more recent icon, let's dream of the world we want to live in and let's dream out loud! Because sometimes, dreams come true. - Shay
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