And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.

Colossians 3:17, ESV

I remember when my wife Carolyn was teaching Sunday school to our toddlers. She would sing a song that went something along these lines: "If I'm a farmer when I grow up, I'll be a Christian farmer when I grow up." She would find out what all of the kids' parents did and then she would adjust the song to their occupation - father, mother, oil field worker or even real estate appraiser, it was all the same. Whatever the occupation, they would be a Christian first and foremost. 

It was a great lesson for kids, but even a better one for adults. This perspective will keep us engaged and purposeful throughout our lives if we will just keep it. Understanding that we are a servant of God before servants of men makes all the difference. It allows us to keep the goal in mind, but it also allows us to do something else that I am convinced is an absolute necessity in life: It allows us to dream.

We all need dreams. I know a man whose dream was to get to the point in his career that he could leave that occupation and own his own farm and ranching operation. Your own dream may differ in the specifics, but they all have the same thing in common. They come with a lot of forethought, advance planning, and tons and tons of hard work. It's the very "bulk" of the effort needed to make a dream a reality that can separate us from God if we are not careful. The reason for this is easy to understand: Dreams need tremendous amounts of our time to come to fruition, and sometimes the scarcity of time will crowd out our service to God.

This is where we can take a lesson from my wife's song of encouragement to her children, and to the gentleman with the dream of ranching. The song encourages us to remember that our primary identity comes from our being a servant of Christ, and not from our occupation. The rancher I have in mind has also done an impressive job of keeping first things first, as he begins every day with prayer and devotion time with God. He also goes with his family to worship with the church on the first day of every week. By doing so, he has been able to put in the hard work that dreams and reality require, while committing himself to placing his service to the Lord first and then taking God with him through his work day.

In other words, if he is a rancher now that he is grown up, he is determined to be a Christian rancher now that he is grown up.

I am convinced that this is the way life must be lived in order to get the full satisfaction out of it. Our dreams can sometimes dim a bit as the uncertainties and challenges of life take hold. But, if we are Christians before anything else, then everything will be made better. Our families will become more precious, our relationships will be enhanced, and our dreams and realities will be all the sweeter when viewed through the lens of our service to God. Why is that, you may wonder? It is because we are all just servants of God on our way to heaven. With that in mind we can endure hardships and enjoy success all the more. 

Again, why is that? It is because including God in our daily routines and giving Him pre-eminence while doing so reminds us that all of our experiences, setbacks, and dreams are but incidents along the road to heaven. This life can be quite a ride at times. Sometimes its a smooth gallop across green fields and sometimes it will buck you off, but including God at the forefront of all of these experiences will make our lives richer, not poorer. What kind of a person are you? Whatever it may be, if you are a Christian person, then you are well on your way to achieving your dreams.