HOW TO KEEP YOUR DREAMS BURNING

I have discovered that everyone has a dream of who he/she wants to become in life, what they want to achieve, what kind of lifestyle they would like to live and how to sail into the fulfillment of their dreams. Nobody seems to remember that there are bumps on the road and it is not always smooth sailing. I once travelled from Rivers State to Edo State and I noticed that portions of the road were so good, we were literally cruising and others were so bad we had to slow to a crawl to safely navigate the bad spots. That is life. Same thing with dreams; there is always a bad spot when it seems you might never get fulfillment. Here are three things to do to keep on course:

1. HOLD ON TO THE ONE BRIGHT LITTLE SPARK OF HOPE IN YOUR HEART: No matter how hard one is hit and how hopeless the situation always seems to be, I have come to understand and realise that within every human being, there is that little spark of hope. You could call it hot ashes or even smouldering embers but it is there. I urge you to hold on to it. Be brutal in denial if you must, but whatever you do, DO NOT LOSE YOUR GRIP ON THAT SPARK OF HOPE because hope does not allow one to be ashamed, the end of your expectations will be tremendous. Joseph in (Genesis 37) was lively and full of dreams but had his storms. Chapters 39 - 45 talk about his gradual but consistent rise to the top of his dreams...Do not lose hope, beloved, you will soon get there.
2. DETERMINE IN YOUR HEART TO TURN A DEAF EAR TO ANYTHING THAT SUGGESTS A CONTRARY STANCE TO YOURS IRRESPECTIVE OF HOW SENSIBLE OR GENUINE IT SOUNDS: Nobody can defeat you but you. Defeat starts from self-defeat; belief starts from self-belief. The dream is yours and no one else's; others are permitted to help you fulfill it but NOBODY should be permitted to help you truncate (kill) it. A wise man once told me: WHEN STRENGTH FAILS, DREAMS ARE ABORTED! Many may want to sincerely, with good intentions, plead with you to spare yourself the hurt of the present situation and settle for less than the best. If you agree, you are simply telling them that you are not good enough for anything but second-best. In Ruth Chapter 1 verse 8 - 18, Naomi tried hard to dissuade her daughters-in-law from following the remaining link to the fulfillment of their dreams and she succeeded in convincing Orpah to settle for less than the best; but Ruth made up her mind to get the best or die trying!
3. MAKE UP YOUR MIND TO SKIP THE MORSELS OF CONSOLATION AND WAIT FOR THE MAIN DISH: Joseph, as we read in Genesis 39, 40 had opportunities to eat scraps and lick his lips with delight in anticipation of the main course. Had he listened to Portiphar's wife, he would never have risen to become Portiphar's Boss. Had he been content with being just the Prisoner in charge of other prisoners, he would have lived out his life as Chief warder of the prisons of Egypt; but because he dared to keep believing his dreams, he ended up with the best of it all - AS PRIME MINISTER OF EGYPT!
At the end of all discussions, the buck stops with you. Your destiny is yours and your choices will help you to make it to the top or settle for less than the best. What is your decision, beloved? Lie down and die? Or straighten up and believe in yourself? The choice is yours.
-The Rev. Kelechi Timothy Francis