Dreams don’t WORK unless you DO!

A close friend of mine reiterated the old adage that hard work won’t kill you but being lazy might! This was one of my 80 plus year old grandmas who shared with a group of High School students about her life in Phoenix as a cotton picker who went to the fields every day. Her simple message was ‘you gotta do what you gotta do’ to make it happen.  Grandma Johnson was a single mom who picked cotton and then worked in a local factory for 25 years before retiring. Her legacy humbles me to consider how often I complain about life, work and stuff. Yet, as I watched this group of affluent teens it struck me how easy it would be to live off mom and dad’s efforts for a life time.

One of the tragedies of today’s society is that too many kids and teens growing up have been told NO too often about their dreams or plans. This stops them sadly from taking a risk to see something considered impossible from happening. We had a great Saturday afternoon attending a play, Fools by Neil Simmons, produced by a local Youth Theater Group. It was so much fun watching both adults and teens live out their dreams in acting and performing. What was fascinating for me was to see the look on one of my little kids, Maya whose seven, have that twinkle because she’s someone who loves to dance and perform. She was mesmerized by her tutor and her daughter who were involved in the play.

So how is it possible that so many believe that you can get great things out of doing NOTHING? Is it possible to have money fall out of the sky? Is there a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow? Why would anyone who has been a hard worker share the rewards of their labor with someone who is on the sidelines of life watching? Is it possible that the short cut or texting mentality has taken over? Why read a book, practice or ask questions when you can google anything and get answers in seconds? Why knock yourself out anymore? Is it not the case that I deserve something for no efforts? Isn’t it both my divine right or governmental duty to have  a car when I turn sixteen?

Everything you do involves choosing to make a whole-hearted effort! Most struggle with finding genuine relationships in life because conflict and selfishness require real effort to resolve and compromise to have a best friend or a spouse that knows you’ve got their back. Yet, how often do we walk away from a relationship because we don’t get it our way? How often do teachers in school, regardless of whether it’s first grade or college, get their buttons push because of the disparity of students who come prepared and are excited about learning versus those that see the teacher as an entertainer?

I had a fascinating conversation with a group of kids talking about how much work it would take to do a two-hour play? Clearly few had any idea how many months of practice and behind the scene memorizing it would take. Yet, the assumption too often is that most things in life are effortless and will help mysteriously by accident so that the hard work element seems to be absent. As many are overwhelmed by basketball sensation who scored 70 points it still comes back to hard work on the part of a team to see anyone accomplish this amazing feat. Yet, how often do our dreams seem devoid of the work that must go hand in hand with seeing a better tomorrow!

I listened to a new friend recently share about his life story as he reflected on what it was like to grow up with a dad who left his mom before he was even born. He knew that his dad would have rather had his mom abort him than raise him. Yet, despite such a horrible start in life my friend reflected on the impact of a grandpa type that choose to do the hard work of mentoring for years. The result was a transformed life on the part of a kid who initially grew up fatherless but now has a special mentor friend and discovered God as his father!

Grandma’s simple advice was to no longer fear hard work, getting dirty, being late or putting yourself out if you want to see your dreams happen in life!