Category: Boot Camp for Creators & Dreamers

There’s no such thing as a free lunch. If you want something in life, you generally have to pay for it. And if you want to accomplish your goals and fulfill your dreams, you’ll need to put up some sweat capital. And usually, you’ll also need to make some emotional investments. 

Last session: We discussed two examples of paying the price through emotional investments:

• Don’t be surprised if your friends can’t understand or support your dreams.

• Be prepared to be misunderstood and have your actions viewed as prideful.

If you missed these points you can find a full explanation HERE. Those of you who are up–to–date will recall that we promised to share the “BIG ONE.” Read on.

In the old TV sitcom Sanford and Son, young, enterprising Lamont frequently shocked his elderly father with some new scheme or startling news. The veteran junkman, Fred Sanford, would always clutch at his heart, look heavenward, and exclaim to his dear departed wife: “This is the BIG ONE, Elizabeth! I comin’ to join you!”

Jesus Christ got to see the BIG ONE up close and personal. In order to fulfill His destiny on earth, He made a huge emotional investment. No matter how wonderful His accomplishments — He healed the sick, fed thousands, and brought to life the Word of God like no one had before — He nevertheless encountered resistance. Like many creators and dreamers today, Jesus was misunderstood, His actions misinterpreted. He took it in stride, however, commenting that “The only place a prophet isn’t honored [or respected] is in his hometown, among his relatives, and in his own house.” (Mark 6:4 GW)

What is the BIG ONE?

• In many cases, even the people closest to you — members of your own family — may not support or encourage you! (– Not even if you have a solid track record of encouraging, supporting, and being there for them.)

Ouch! This is undoubtedly the most challenging and painful truth we dreamers must face. But too often it’s an ugly situation we all contend with. The people closest to us won’t always “celebrate” us, or our achievements. To the contrary, the people we thought would be in our cheering section — often end up resenting our efforts to reach our goals, as well as the small victories we win on the road to fulfilling the dreams and visions God gave us. (This can be especially painful if you have a track record of supporting them and celebrating their achievements.)

Take heart! If you’ve encountered this absolutely weird reaction from friends and families, you are not alone! Join the club, of which our Lord and Savior is President: “We don’t have a priest who is out of touch with our reality. He’s been through weakness and testing, experienced it all—all but the sin.” (Hebrews 4:15 MSG)

Like most creators and dreamers, our Lord dealt with misunderstanding, criticism, and lack of familial support. He also had to deal with the two-headed green monster of jealousy and envy. Regarding Christ’s crucifixion, the Roman officials “knew that the chief priests [God’s own family] had handed him over because of jealousy.” (Mark 15:10 CEB) We’ll provide you with a complete dossier on the green monster of jealousy, along with a few other villainous attitudes, when we discuss the pitfalls and “perils” all creators and dreamers eventually encounter. Stay Tuned!

• Learn to accept that people are NOT perfect. Far from it — which means that in addition to jealousy, envy, misunderstanding, misinterpretation, and a general lack of encouragement and support, we’ll have to contend with the apathy, indifference, laziness, self-absorption, and  preoccupation of other people. This is important, because not everyone who fails to show their support is guilty of harboring ill-feelings. Sometimes the people we were counting on to encourage and assist us with our vision are just too busy, or too tired, or too distracted.

Then too, some people — the ones who’ve already achieved a modicum of success or notoriety, who have already “arrived” — may be reluctant to help and encourage those still struggling, because … well, because they’ve grown too big for their britches. And no, we don’t mean they’ve put on weight. But it’s all good.

Whether others respond to our dreams with malice or misunderstanding; or fail to respond due to indifference or inopportunity, we must always guard our hearts, make allowances, and give them the benefit of the doubt. Cut even your most vocal critics some slack — because that’s how the Lord deals with each of us. “Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.” (Colossians 3:13 NLT)

Remember that at the end of the day, God is still in control. We can trust Him to have the situation well in hand. He knows what He’s doing, which obviously means:

• Not everyone will play a part in God’s plan for your life. Simply put, those who don’t support you in your dream (regardless of their reasons) were never intended to play a part in the vision with which God entrusted you. They are not a part of your destiny.

So, if you’re not getting support and encouragement from friends and family, don’t sweat it. To quote a song from Disney’s Frozen, “Let it go!” It’s all part of paying the price for aiming high — an emotional investment toward achieving your dreams. And if the price seems dear, take comfort in the knowledge that God is on your side: “Even if my father and mother abandon me, the LORD will hold me close.” (Psalm 27:10 NLT)

Not only is the Lord in our cheering section, not only does He support our efforts, but He also promises us, “God has said, “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.” (Hebrews 13:5 NLT)

“For the eyes of the LORD move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His.” (2 Chronicles 16:9 NASB) Nothing else really matters. Does it?

In 1899, Rudyard Kipling wrote of “the institution of the ‘free lunch'”: a once-common practice in American saloons, where “You paid for a drink and got as much as you wanted to eat.” But this seemingly altruistic practice was artfully deceptive. First, the true cost of the free food was usually disguised in the high price of the beer being served. Second, the “free” munchies on offer were extremely salty — ham, pickled eggs, pretzels and crackers — so patrons  “wolfing food from a counter” stayed thirsty, ordered more beer, and ended up paying far more than they intended.

You already know the lesson here. Another popular writer, Robert Heinlein, popularized the old adage in his 1966 science-novel The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress: “There ain’t no such thing as a free lunch.” Period.

Nothing in life is free. Somewhere, someone is footing the bill. True, salvation through the atoning death of our Lord Jesus Christ is a free gift to
all who believe and trust in Him — but only because Christ paid the price
for our sins. (Ephesians 2:8)

Along with this sobering truth comes yet another fascinating fact — of which many of us aren’t aware. At least many of us act like we’re oblivious to it: No one besides Christ — not your teacher or your neighbor, your boss or your best friend, not even your Aunt Petunia or your Uncle Billy-Bob — is too keen on paying your way in life. What’s all this mean?

If you want something in life, you generally have to pay for it. And if you want to accomplish your goals and fulfill your dreams, you’ll need to put up some sweat capital. And usually, you’ll also need to make some emotional investments.

Let’s discuss these emotional investments. God-sized dreams often carry god-sized price tag; and require god-sized sacrifices — especially in the area of human relationships. Not necessarily because we dreamers tend to get caught up in the pursuit of our goals, and end up neglecting those
around us. That can happen, but as we stated earlier, people who keep their priorities straight will never be guilty of this. On the other hand, however, it’s often the creator or the dreamer who feels left out.

Most people don’t understand what motivates those of us who have grand visions and chase big dreams. They wonder why we want to create, achieve, accomplish, go higher; why we aren’t content to simply maintain the status quo; and why we aren’t satisfied being just like everyone else. And yet, God calls us to break out of the mold, to outdistance the pack, to knock the ball out of park.

“Don’t let the world around you squeeze you into its own mold, but let God re-mold your minds from within, so that you may prove in practice that the plan of God for you is good….” (Romans 12:2-3 PHILLIPS) In other words, be like Christ; think, talk, and act differently. Don’t be afraid to stand out from the crowd, but in a good way. Breaking out of the mold is how many great men and women achieved their dreams and made incredible contributions to the world. But don’t expect the crowd to love you for it.

• Don’t be surprised if your friends can’t understand why you spend your days pursuing what they perceive as an elusive dream — while they themselves waste hours of precious time playing video games, watching TV, Tweeting, or posting funny videos to Facebook.

• Be prepared to be misunderstood; and to have your actions misinterpreted. Many people will view your desire to create and achieve, or to reach a level of excellence, as sheer pride. And they’ll view your struggles as a display of stubborn arrogance. Such attitudes may seem preposterous — if you’ve
  never experienced them firsthand — but these critical and judgmental attitudes are as old and as familiar as civilization.

Jesus Christ, while working to achieve His purpose on earth, frequently encountered these attitudes. In fact, some people were quite vocal in their criticism: “‘He’s no better than we are,’ they said. ‘He’s just a carpenter, Mary’s boy…. And his sisters live right here among us.’ And they were offended!” (Mark 6:3 TLB) These people were essentially grumbling, “Just who does He think He is!”

Even at that time, our Lord knew exactly who He was. But was He prideful? Definitely not!

“Though he was God, He … gave up His divine privileges; He took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being.” (Philippians 2:6-7 NLT) So why would people misinterpret this great Creator’s mission?

Sometimes people can’t see beyond the familiar. They fail to understand that God has planted  the seeds of greatness in every man, woman, and child. So when they consider the average dreamer, they don’t see potential; instead, they see a friend, a relative, a coworker, or the person next door. Which is why Jesus states, “The only place a prophet isn’t honored [or respected] is in his hometown, among his relatives, and in his own house.” (Mark 6:4 GW)

Remember those emotional investments we warned creators and dreamers about? In this brief remark, Jesus revealed the BIG ONE!

Alas, you’ll have to join us Friday to learn more about it!

Until then, take heart, fellow dreamers and creators. You’re in good company, because: Jesus Christ was the perfect manifestation of God here on earth; He lived a perfect, sinless life; and everything He did was out of love. And yet, He was misunderstood, judged, criticized, and finally put to death. Our Lord paid the ultimate price, but He kept His eyes on the world’s greatest dream: the redemption of humankind. So be encouraged, because God understands exactly what you’re experiencing.

God knew what He was doing when He entrusted you with the dream or vision! He’s the One who gave you the gifts and talents to pursue it — and He will help you to fulfill it! In the meantime, hold onto His promises:

“God, who began this good work in you, will carry it through to completion….” (Philippians 1:6 GW)

“…The gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable [for He does not withdraw what He has given, nor does He change His mind about those to whom He gives His grace or to whom He sends His call].” (Romans 11:29 AMP)

“…With God nothing [is or ever] shall be impossible.” (Luke 1:37 AMP)

Next session: “Brace Yourself for the Big One”