Our hopes and our dreams are rooted in that which we desire most. The little girl doesn’t dream of being a princess simply because she wants to wear a crown and live in a castle. She dreams of such because she wants to be a woman that is captivating, loved, secure and important. The young boy doesn’t just want to be a professional football player, he wants to be a man who is celebrated and applauded for his accomplishments. Sure, these kids probably wouldn’t be able to articulate it that way, but that’s what is at the heart of their dreams. And, if we were honest, it those very desires that are at the heart of most of our dreams as well. That’s why no one ever said, “I want to be a janitor, or a shoe shiner, when I grow up.” Not that there is anything wrong or less respectful for people who have those jobs, but the cultural perception is that cleaning toilets and shining shoes is where someone ends up when life goes awry, not where someone dreams of getting someday. And why? Because those jobs don’t carry with them the accolades, the financial security, the envy and respect of others. Our dreams reveal what the ultimate pursuit of our hearts really is. We all long for security, respect, love, acceptance, power, importance, etc. And, it is our dreams and hopes that will reveal which of those things we feel we need, or deserve, the most.

if our desires are the seedbed out of which our hopes and dreams blossom, then it can also be said that our identity, the way we see ourselves, is the the pedals that grow at the end of that bud. A person who dreams of wealth for fear of lack will come to see himself as either a person who is above others if he succeeds in that dream, or as an utter failure if he fails to obtain the level of wealth he deems successful. If a girl dreams of becoming the beauty queen for fear of rejection then she will either come to see herself as a woman who is more desirable than others, or as the rejected ugly duckling that couldn’t make the cut. You see, our dreams reveal our deepest desires, but they also produce a view of ourselves based on whether or not they become a reality.

all of this comes together (fear, dreams and identity) to affect the choices we make. In the same way that Adam and Eve chose to take the fruit when the fear of God’s holding out on them was introduced, so when confronted with the perception that our dreams will not become a reality we too begin to react out of fear and self preservation and end up grasping for control rather than trusting God in faith.

there is only one thing that can free us from our fears of inadequacy, rejection, poverty, etc., and that is love. But m, not just any kind of love from any kind of person. It is only the unconditional love of the King of the Universe that can free us from our fears. See, the love of another created being will eventually fail and falter, but the love of a perfect, loving and eternal being will never leave us or forsake us. And knowing God is good, loving and perfect, as the Gospel tells us He is, allows us to dream and navigate through life without being controlled by those fears.