That being said, when we seek after our dreams, or our own "Personal Legends," even if things don't end up how we expect, we still learn. We still grow. We still gain wisdom. There is comfort in seeking a dream, because sometimes your reality becomes better than any concocted fantasy or dream...Reality will often be different than our dreams. Even though we may accomplish what we want, our experiences that helped form and shape us to reach that point may not always be what we expect.
I loved this principle as well, and Nathan and I have seen many examples of this.
When the books ends you see how much he gained from his journey: wisdom and spiritual treasures as well as earthly treasures, a women who loves him, and many amazing memories. It's funny to look back and remember his "ultimate dream" from the beginning, he wanted to stay where he was, gain a large flock, and marry that girl from the village. So many times we think we know what we want and we think we are dreaming big, but in reality our experience is so limited that we can't even dream big enough for what God has in store for us.
One personal example is Nathan and I wanted so badly to be hired by CES to teach seminary. We thought it was the ultimate dream to for us to get a job somewhere, buy a house, settle down, and just teach seminary and have a family. We prayed and prayed and when it didn't work out, we cried and our dream was crushed. We thought it was best for us, but God thought differently. Now that we have moved away and followed a more adventurous path, we look back and think how boring our original dream sounds. With seminary they want you to stay in the same place and be content, possibly even retire where you are originally sent. And most likely that would have been a small town in Utah somewhere. With Nathan's new educational goals and the field he is entering, he will have a myriad of options: teaching, counseling, research, starting up his own clinic, anything! And how many more opportunities does that present for me and our family as we travel to new places and do things that we wouldn't think to do. I'm glad that our original ultimate dream didn't work out and I'm glad that God is in charge, not us.
-Megan
Well said, Megan. I loved the end where he realized that the treasure he sought was back in his home town. It's interesting that we may think our big adventure is what we need, but the dream God has for which, is often better. Sometimes our reality is better than our supposed dream, and we can take comfort that God will guide us the way we should go.
ReplyDeleteI think this book was interesting for all of us to reflect upon our own dreams- it demands it. I don't think I could read that book without wondering or observing what my personal legend will be. What will my experiences make me? How will they change my perspective? and How do my talents and abilities help me to achieve what I need to accomplish. As you are all aware- I have no idea what I want to do with my life. I feel as if I have abilities and talents but, I don't know where that road should go. I don't know if this is exactly what I'm supposed to be experiencing (like when he was working at the glass store- waiting and doing his best) or if there is something else tugging and pulling me to a different position in my life. May I find the confidence that you have found in letting God direct my path.
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