Follow Your Dreams, But...

​I was eleven when I caught the broadcast bug.

My fifth grade class was on a field trip to a place called “Exchange City”. It’s basically a large room decorated to look like a little town. I asked for and was given the reporter job.

I had my Limited Too sunglasses on top of my head, my sparkly purse by my side, and a microphone in my hand. I never looked back.

I don’t think I have stopped working my butt off since then. I got a letter from the mayor to ensure I had a spot in freshman year’s TV Production class. I spent my Saturday mornings competing in Speech and Debate's TV category instead of sleeping in. I read web scripts in front of my mirror after class to find my “reporter voice”. That was just my first year of high school!

This trend continued as I officially joined the speech team, landed a spot on the school’s morning announcement show, and edited my first packages for TV class. When I got to college, I could already do what many of my peers could not because of high school opportunities.

I never slowed down. I had four jobs relating to journalism by my junior year of college, and got out of school a year early to get a head start in my field.

Bragging? Nope. Proving my seemingly healthy drive? Absolutely. I mean, most success stories sound like this right?

Alllllll of this stuff, plus a little luck, landed me in a bigger city than I thought was possible for my first full-time reporting job. I came home to Memphis, TN nine months after I turned 21. I landed my dream job. All that work had paid off!

Isn’t it amazing what we as humans think will satisfy us?

Before we get to me, let me tell you a little bit about my friend Solomon. He was David’s son, and God literally granted him the gift of wisdom. So, he wasn’t just smart… he was the smartest.

Wikipedia says he had almost 40,000 pounds of gold (wanted to be specific), so he was also the richest. He had hundreds of wives. Dude had it all.

Yet, he wrote in Ecclesiastes 1:14, “I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind.”

You may feel a little depressed hearing this, but once my pastor spoke these words I felt a wave of comfort fall over me.

When I sit down with friends nowadays, I hear about their struggles with jobs. I have been told I am lucky several times. Truthfully though, it is all meaningless.

You will never ever EVER find satisfaction in your job. To the outside world I was and am thriving!

But, did the dream job stop the panic attacks? No. Did I consistently crumble on the floor swearing I was going to get fired for the first year of my career? Yep.

So friends, please stop trying to find your happiness in the things of the world. The only thing that has provided consistent joy in my life is Jesus. It almost feels like a shortcut to me now that I have found this for myself.

What do you mean I don’t have to work desperately hard to achieve status and become happy?

All I have to do is truly trust in the Lord and I just… find joy?

YES!

Jeremiah 29:11 says, “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.”

This verse is printed everywhere, and it’s easy to skim. But, go back and read it slower. Plans to prosper you. Plans to not harm you. Hope. A future.

Dreams are wonderful things and gifts from God! But, learn from my mistakes. Follow your dreams, but don’t rely on them to sustain your happiness. You’re more than a dream, you’re a child of God.