Dreams have no shadows.

My sister and I were talking tonight about letting go of dreams and submitting to what God has instead.  As I'm sure you've all experienced, there's a lot of bad theology on this subject and it's easy to beat yourself up for not being submitted enough, for still holding on to what you want for your life rather than what God wants, yada yada. Conversely, I've heard too many sermons about pursuing dreams that have been preached in a very American, me-centric tone.  Like, God created you with this passion and this dream, so of course it's what you're supposed to do and of course He will bless it. As if.

Personally and realistically, I never can "let go" of my dreams because some of them are as much a part of me as breathing.  I breathe without thinking about it.  Similarly, without even thinking about it I imagine myself being a foster parent, or serving lattes and directing employees at my coffee shop, or finally publishing a novel.  These thoughts enter my head without me evaluating them or conjuring them up; they're just there, growing, always, as much a part of me as the fingernails that have to be trimmed every week and the hair that has to be washed.  If I don't trim my nails or wash my hair I start getting kind of gross; equally, if I don't rein in the thoughts of my future they start making me discontent with my present. 

Because of this I think "letting go" is a bad analogy in the discourse on life goals.  Submitting to what God has for you isn't about letting go of your dreams, it's about not letting them rule you.  It's accepting that your dreams might not happen; not to let go of the dreams themselves, rather letting go of the bitterness that threatens to steal your joy if they don't come to pass.  It's controlling the dream, not letting it control you.  It's making the dream submit to reality, like a car that just wants to move forward still submits to the pressure of the break pedal. Dreams have no shadows.  They are shiny and perfect and even the conflict within them is completely controlled and created by the dreamer. Reality is sweat and blood and tears and pain and wrinkles and varicose veins and stretch marks and coffins and Los Angeles traffic.  Dreams are important and they move us forward so we musn't let go of them, but if we do not control them they'll drive us straight off a cliff.