Dreaming Big

It's not "politically correct" anymore to dream big. Movies like "Emperor's Club" and "Freedom Writers" are considered Holywoodized and unrealistic. One person can't do something that spectacular. I'll give people that think that the concession that people that make the history books are rare - that's why they make the history books. Most of the time people with big dreams eventually settle for something more practical. A man with dreams of inventing a flying car eventually (once he realizes he's out of money) settles for building great car engines and telling himself that he's finally grown up.
In this country, it used to be popular to dream big. We believed we lived in this magical country where anything was possible if we worked hard enough. But we got disillusioned. We started realize that hard work isn't enough. A "wonder teacher" might not be able to do anything because he can't overcome a lifetime of outside influences that call to his children. An inventor might never be able to market his product because he doesn't have the right connections. The new American attitude is to keep expectations low, and maybe some will be lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time. We're smarter than we used to be, and have learned the cold, hard truth. We've learned that we're all living under the oppressive wheel of fate.
It's the same kind of thinking that I ran into so thoroughly in Ghana. I was told it was arrogant to think I could make any real difference. I was there to learn, which was code for "learn how you're not as great and knowledgeable as you think you are. They don't really need your help anyway, they're just victims of oppressive Westerners." I was also told I was there to maybe touch the life of one person in some small way - maybe put a smile on a face for a day. But that was all I could hope to accomplish. The problems I would see would be too big for me to solve on my own. How dare I think I can make a difference when so many before me have failed?
So why is it that a whole nation held their breath last night as one 23-year-old swimmer tried to do what no man had ever done before? We all knew that his dreams were unrealistic. There were too many factors beyond his control for him to be able to claim his goal was doable. But he set his goal anyway, and through some incredible skill and a whole lot of "luck," it happened. And a nation cheered. Someone showed us big dreams could come true.
We've been disillusioned. We realize hard work alone doesn't cut it, and that great things rarely happen. But we're desperate to have something to dream about, to reach towards. The problem is that we've forgotten the one who makes everything possible. We do our part, then God comes in with the miracle that makes all the difference. There's no luck. We've lost hope for the incredible because we've lost God. But we want Him. We want to dream again.