Do you have a dream? Do have that great aspiration – you even call it big, hair, and audacious dream? Do you have it? Yes, so what do you do now?
Let me offer three prescriptions for you today: declare, do, and deliver.
First, declare. There was a blind beggar named Bartimaeus. Because he is blind, he wanted to see again. That’s his dream. One day, while he was sitting by the road, there was a large crowd passing by. When he heard that it was Jesus, the Healer (who made the blind see), he began to shout, “Jesus! Son of David! Have mercy on me!”
At that moment, you can see a man of faith declaring what he wanted. He shouted. He pleaded. You can boldly declare your dream, too. But be ready because when you declare your dreams, there will be hushers who will try to scold you, silent you, or even ridicule you. When the blind Bartimaeus started shouting, many of the people scolded him and told him to be quiet. But he shouted even more loudly.
How do you respond when there are hushers around you? Do you stop or do you persevere?
Here’s what happened next: Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” So they called the blind man. “Cheer up!” They said. “Get up, he is calling you.”
In the midst of hushers are the right people. When you persevere, the right people will notice you. And guess what? When the right people start noticing you, even the hushers will become cheerers of you. They may even be the ones who will bring you the news to you.
Declare your dreams and declare them boldly. Expect hushers. Persevere.
Second, do. The story did not end there and so is the requirement to our dreams. To declare them is not enough.
Let’s continue the story: When they called him, he threw off his cloak, jumped up, and came to Jesus. In this particular scene, you see a series of actions being done. Bartimaeus was doing the required action.
He threw off his cloak – this can symbolize putting away wrong habits, negative mindset, past programs that are not benefiting you anymore. He jumped up – this shows us that we need to exert effort toward our dreams and we do not just limp or walk slowly, we jump! And came to Jesus – this signifies that when we take action, we have to move to the right direction to our dream, guided and grounded by our our values, our character, and our faith.
As we do the required action, expect that we will be tested. It is in these tests that we get clearer with what we really want.
The story continues: “What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked him. “Teacher,” the blind man answered, “I want to see again.”
While it may be obvious what he wanted, he had to be asked and he had to answer – what he really wanted.
In our course of implementing our plans to achieve our dreams, we will be challenged. Clarity in what you want will help your persevere instead of surrender.
Do what you need to do. And respond accordingly to tests and trials.
Third, deliver. When you do these steps, the results will come in due time. This is what happened to blind beggar Bartimaeus: “Go,” Jesus told him, “your faith has made you well.” At once he was able to see…”
The outcome that you wanted will be delivered to you in due season. You just have to do your part — in declaring and doing what is required in the name of faith.
But once the outcome is delivered to you, it is your turn to respond and deliver. The story of Bartimaeus closes, “At once he was able to see and followed Jesus on the road.”
I am not a theologian but here’s my guess: when he followed Jesus, he started listening to Him, observing what He does, and shared to other people what he experienced. He started delivering to others as well.
Three simple actions: declare, do, and deliver. But the results are immense. Do these things in the name of faith. In due time, you will be able to achieve that big, hairy, audacious dreams of yours.
Now that I delivered these powerful prescriptions, it’s your turn to deliver some results in your life and to the people around you. Declare. Do. Deliver. [Story taken from Mark 10:46-52 TEV]
(In your pursuit of dreams, you cannot evade the requirement to speak in public. Public speaking is inevitable. Include public speaking in your area of action. Join us at the SPEAK 2.0 on December 8 [1-5pm] in Baguio City; you will also receive a FREE copy of Chris Dao-anis’ latest book ‘SPEAK: How to Craft and Deliver a Speech or Presentation w/ competence & confidence’. Register online at http://bit.ly/SpeakBaguio or text your name and email address to 0945-761-6577. Certificates and snacks will be provided. Early bird rate of P597 ends on November 10 so sign up now!)
