Podcast Episode 124 - What can the Christmas Story teach you about your dreams
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Do you have a dream, calling or purpose that God gave you?
How badly do you want it?
Do people make fun of it?
What do you do to reach your dreams? Do you go after it? Wait for it? Wait for it to drop in your lap?
We're continuing our series on what my favorite Christmas Movies can teach us. Today, we'll learn what the Christmas Story can teach us about our dreams.
Today is for you if:
If you have a dream in your heart that you want to fulfill.
If you've been waiting patiently for your dream to come to pass.
If you want to prove those naysayers wrong.
Here are four plus a bonus things we can learn about our dreams from the Christmas Story movie:
1. Dream Big
We begin the Christmas Story in Indiana in the 1940s, and 9-year-old Ralphie had a dream of getting a Red Ryder Carbon-Action 200 shot range model air rifle.
God's called us to something greater than ourselves. But you have to dream it first. So dream big.
2. Don't let the naysayers stop you from dreaming
Ralphie had naysayers continually remind him when he shared his dream of a Red Ryder BB gun, "You'll shoot your eye out!"
Listen, you'll have people disagree with your dream, mock your plan or say you can't do it. Maybe that naysayer is you.
I know I've been my worst naysayer over the years.
But we can't let them stop us.
We must keep dreaming. Keep reaching. Keep going.
3. Get creative
Ralphie got super creative, trying to convince the adults around him that he should get a Red Ryder BB gun for Christmas.
He put an ad in his parents' morning magazine.
He wrote his themed school paper about it.
He brought a giant fruit basket to sweeten up his teacher.
He went to the department store Santa to ask him directly.
It will take creativity to walk out our dreams and overcome the obstacles in our way.
If you're stuck, ask Holy Spirit for wisdom on what to do next.
4. Savor your dream
After finally getting his dream Red Ryder BB gun for Christmas, not before getting the worst pink bunny PJs from his aunt, he runs outside to shoot his dream come true. His shot ricochets, and Ralphie thinks he really shot his eye out.
But that moment doesn't stop him from savoring his dream; the movie ends with him cradling his dream as he drifts off to sleep.
We need to savor our dream. Enjoy it. And not just reaching our objective either. We need to savor the journey on the way to our dream.
Bonus Lesson: Roll with the punches
Before the movie ends, we see a disaster strike. The neighbor's dogs ran into the home and ate the Christmas turkey. Ralphie's dad's favorite thing of all! So they end up at the only restaurant open on Christmas Day, the Chinese food restaurant. They brought out the Christmas duck, head, and all, while the wait staff sang Christmas carols to the family in broken English.
Listen, crap will happen when you're trying to fulfill your dream. But we can't let that stop us, either. We can roll with the punches and turn lemons into lemonade.