Chase Your Dreams — and Enable Others to Do So

We are born with dreams for a better tomorrow. Kids dream about becoming doctors, lawyers, pilots, teachers, police officers — to mention a few. “What do you want to be when you grow up?” It’s probably one of the first questions an adult asks a child.

My dream was a little different. I knew as a little boy that I wanted to become an accountant. You heard that right, an accountant. Numbers were cool! But I found out soon enough that I would never become one. My family could never provide me the opportunity to pursue my dream.

I grew up in extreme poverty in Kenya. My two brothers, mother and I lived on a meager budget of $10 per month. That’s the best she could do with what she had been given.

When people asked that favorite question, I responded with a big smile on my face: “I want to be an accountant!” Adults and children alike quickly proceeded to tell me to stop wasting my time dreaming. None of my dreams would ever come true. They confirmed my fear that I was born poor. I would live poor. And I would die poor. And life would go on without me.

In second grade, I was invited to my local church to eat some good food and play with my friends. At least, that’s what it looked like to me. But that church also introduced me to the Bible and the gospel of Jesus Christ. The truth in the Word of God exposed me to scriptures like Jeremiah 29:11: “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’”

Knowing the truth in the Word of God about who I am, and whose I am, set me free.

The truth is that poverty left my life the day Christ came into my life.

Through the child sponsorship program I was a part of, I realized my dream of being an accountant. Today I hold a CPA status in the United States. God will bring people along the way who stand in the gap to help us make our dreams into reality. One of my favorite scripture verses is Psalm 37:4, which says, “Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.”

It’s hard to realize that a small act of kindness and love can lead to a huge ripple in another life. God can use you as a stepping-stone to someone’s dream. As you chase your dreams, remember to open your heart and eyes to see opportunities that God brings your way for you to be a blessing to others.