Youth is the time for dreams...

Several years ago I began teaching a story about a teen-age boy, Rudi Matt, whose father had been killed on the Citadel, a famous, unclimbed mountain. His father was a climbing guide, and he had stayed with his injured client on the mountain to save him. Since no one had ever conquered that mountain, some of the villagers, most of them actually, believed the mountain was cursed. Rudi’s mother and uncle had mapped out his future, which meant being in the hotel business. They started him in the kitchen washing dishes. Of course, as he looked out the window, he dreamed of being on the mountain, where he belonged. He often sneaked out, leaving a pile of dishes undone. Upon one such sojourn, he happened to find the famous Captain John Winter stranded in a crevasse. Rudi pulled Captain Winter to safety, and they connected through their love of climbing. Captain Winter couldn’t believe Rudi, the son of the famous guide, Joseph Matt, was a dishwasher, when he obviously belonged in the climbing business.
When Captain Winter was a youth himself, he had laid eyes on the Citadel. He made up his mind then to be the first to conquer it. Now, years later Captain Winter met up with Rudi, whose father also believed the mountain could be climbed. As they both gazed up at the mountain, Captain Winter uttered the line, “Rudi, youth is the time for dreams. The trick is when you get older not to forget them.”
That line struck a cord with me at the time, and I’ve pondered it a great deal since.
Why would we forget our dreams? I asked my students what they thought about that concept. I suggested perhaps, responsibility. I don’t think they could grasp that idea. What in the world is a student responsible for? But is that the case? Do we get trapped into a job or life that isn’t what we had in mind? Is the grass greener in a different field? Do we lack contentment?
I’ve heard that a person should find their passion and get the job that fulfills it. Do we go along thinking we’re in the dream job or doing the dream thing, and only after years, realize it’s not so dreamy after all? Can a hobby fill the passion? As a youth do we really consider a laudable profession that can fulfill our desires over a lifetime? How mature is youth? Is what we want or dream about then really important or another passing fancy?
We watched “The Bucket List.” Is that more like it? Have a list of dreams you want fulfilled before you die? I wonder if it boils down to contentment. I know that when I was working, that is working and getting paid, advertised vacations that promised pampering and relaxation captivated my imagination. Wouldn’t that be nice, I’d think, just some time to get away and be somewhere else. Now that I have time to catch up on sleep and be rested, these vacation spots don’t call to me as much anymore. Now I have time, but I have to save money, to be able to accomplish the dreams that were so important in youth. The trick is I have to remember them.

How do I get peace in my life?

It seems that “Peace” and “Contentment” go hand in hand. I can easily look at, or imagine what I don’t have. That could make me not content and not at peace. The world tells me to strive for that which I don’t have, so I can be content and have peace. All people want to avoid pain and discomfort which should bring them peace. The problem is “The eyes of man are never satisfied.”
The answer is to have the right focus, on God the supplier of all things, and the right connection, to the Holy Spirit, the power source. I’m not trying to minimize the situation, but it basically boils down to that point. Where’s my focus, and what’s my connection? I can focus on others and be disappointed. They let me down, they don’t fulfill my needs, they make me mad, or they don’t do what I want fast enough. I can focus on my circumstances and be disappointed. Why is it raining today when I want to work outside, why is so hot when I need to cut wood, why won’t these people listen to what I’m saying, or why is this line moving so slowly when I have to be somewhere else in two minutes? Or again, I could connect to things to bring me enjoyment. There are never enough, money or toys.
I need to realize there is a spiritual battle going on, all the time. It doesn’t take the weekends off or go to sleep to rest up. I wake up and sashay out the door, into the melee, with no armor of God on, and I wonder why it’s so hard. Or I waltz out after a good quiet time with God, feeling empowered, only to run smack dab into a spoiler, a dampener, an irritant. I should mentally go back to God, rather than engaging in a useless battle. I need to choose the right focus and maintain the right connection. I can’t accept the concept that I’m superannuated and out of the game. The battle rages on, and I’m still in it whether I chose to be or not. I can have a time out, and I should take one periodically, but I still am thrust back into the storm.
My peace can remain in the midst of the battle. It’s my choice.