One of the most bitter sweet phrases is “it was a dream come true.” Joy and celebration at good things coming to fruition is certainly one reaction. But there is another side of the coin. For many, myself included, this phrase can bring to mind the dreams that have not come true. We often relegate these unfulfilled desires into the darkest corners of our hearts. We think that by banishing these dead and dilapidated dreams that we will be able to forget about the pain their latency has caused. All it takes, though, is to hear a that phrase “dream come true” for us to experience the bitterness of what never was.

But this bitterness is only half of the story.

Surpassing the anguish of unfulfilled dreams is the immense joy of the dreams that have been fully realized (Prov 13:12). In talking about a dream come true, our faces beam radiantly with joy, gratitude and confidence. This is clearly seen as a child tells his friend about how his parents kept their promise and got him a dog, or the way a college graduate can hardly contain her excitement when she tells her parents about the dream job she landed. We can imagine the joy that fills the hearts of the young boy and college graduate at seeing their dreams come true. This only scratching the surface of what it is to dream though…

There are those dreams that weigh heavily upon our hearts. So precious are these dreams that we tell only the people closest to us about them, if we even tell anyone at all. It is these dreams that the depths of our hearts brood over, longing to see their fulfillment in the deepest and most passionate way possible. It was this type of dream that consumed the attention of the father in the parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-24). Staring off into the horizon, the father waited with great expectation that his son would return home. The dreamed about wrapping his beloved son in his arms. It is hard to describe, or even imagine, the joy that this father felt as his son came home. I imagine that his heart, his soul, his body were all nearly overcome by joy.

The notion of such deep and weighty dreams coming true was never meant to be experienced by only a lucky few, though. Rather, we were made to dream immense, deep, and vibrant dreams and see their fruition because we were made in the image of a God who Dreams (Gen 1:27). Just like the father in the Prodigal Son parable, The Lord waits with an ever hopeful heart that wayward hearts would come home. He dreams of the lost being found, of forgiveness overcoming every situation, of a united Bride that is watchful and ready for the return of Christ (Luke 15:8-10) (Matt 18:21-22) (Matt 25:1-13). Each of these serve as clear examples of the dreamer that the God of the Ages it and the extreme magnitude of his dreams. So as His children, we too are called to partner with him and dream impossible, unreasonable, brilliant dreams.

When we dream such dreams, our hearts shift. Our priorities, decisions, and lifestyles change to become ushers of the fulfillment of our dreams. Intercession is ever found upon our tongues as we travail in the Heavenly Courts to these dreams become reality. Joy floods our hearts as we wait expectantly trusting in the faithfulness and goodness of our God to give use the desires of our hearts (Ps 37:4). We become people possessed by promise.

It is this heart posture that allows for dreams to grow. These deep longings, no matter how outrageous they might seem, will never be ignored by the Father’s heart. Reaching months, years, and decades into the future, we can be sure that we will be people telling others of how our dreams have indeed come true.