What happens to a dream deferred?
Does it dry up
like a raisin in the sun?
Or fester like a sore–
And then run?
Does it stink like rotten meat?
Or crust and sugar over–
like a syrupy sweet?Maybe it just sags
like a heavy load.Or does it explode?
A Dream Deferred
by Langston Hughes
I often find myself coming back to this poem… In an act of defiance I wrote it, with other revolutionary commentary, on my former office’s whiteboard for the world to see…
There is an imagery and power to this poem that resonates within me…
I also think that there is a truth in this poem as well…
We are all wired to dream and desire…
I think that this is something that God puts in us from the time that he knits us together in the womb. We all have unique quirks and talents about us that fuel our passion, and when we are operating outside of that passion we feel it…
and it grates on us…
and it wears us down…
and sags like a heavy load…
Driving home from work earlier this week, I had a wonderful experience in being in the presence of God (with the help of Jason Upton, who I do far too much promotion of around here lately). As I was driving home, thinking about passion, desire, and our wirings, I also began to think about how I am wired to serve in a capacity that does not pay a whole awful lot.
Within seconds of that thought God spoke…
Actually, I think a more accurate description is God laughed…
or maybe chuckled…
Whether he chuckled, or laughed, or said “Cha, and monkeys might fly out of my butt” the message was clear: As I serve in the way that he wired me, as I pursue his calling on my life, as I chase after him… I will be provided for.
And I have been.
And I continue to be.
The beauty of this life that we are called to, the wonder of this life of faith is that we are cared for… and cared for well.
While we struggle, while we worry, and while we get nervous about stuff…
it is handled (not will be handled… IS handled), and will be revealed in due time…
And so my prayer continues to be patience until the time of that revelation…
Filed under: life, reflection, worship
