Graham Marc Wolgemuth is my grandson. As a special gift from our Heavenly Father, his birthday falls on the same day as my father, his great-grandfather. Graham will meet Sam some day.
As Graham approaches his fourth birthday, I marvel at what moves in his heart and mind. Although Graham has never seen any of the Batman movies, or the old TV show for that matter, he is still captivated by this superhero. Anything and everything Batman – Graham embraces.
A week ago, in his finest Batman attire, Graham raced around the perimeter of his backyard. His make-shift cape flapped in the wind. His Batman winter stocking hat rounded out the appearance. All that remained was for his superhero power to kick in.
At one point he painfully implored his Mom, “Why am I not getting into the clouds?”
The laughter induced by this exchange quickly became a whisk to my soul. Is it only four-year-olds that dream? Do the princess wishes and superhero expectations dissipate with age and knowledge and reality? Perhaps… but since when should we as followers of the Most High God delegate dreams and miracles to the fantasy world of children?
Dreams can be substantive and lofty at the same time. I also understand quite clearly that a dreamless, hopeless, visionless existence is a formula for destruction. King Solomon put it this way:
“Where there is no vision, the people perish…” (Proverbs 29:18a, KJV)
No vision. No dreaming. No confidence in the extraordinary and unexplainable work of God.
No clouds to reach for. No capes to wear. No mask to propel our hopes and plans for saving the world.
Yes, Graham took a whisk to my soul as he invited me to believe big things. Things even bigger than the stuff of superheroes. Things that only find their hope in the hands of Jesus and the power of the Spirit of God.
Since when did the harsh realities of life demolish our capacity to dream? Even suffering and pain and struggle can’t extinguish a dream that the Father has planted in our soul…
For love…
For peace…
For transformation…
For reconciliation…
For redemption…
For justice…
For mercy…
For righteousness…
For the clouds.
At the conclusion of an unsuccessful day of cloud surfing, Graham informed his mom, “I think when I get my black cape I’ll be able to fly.”
Undaunted. Hope filled.
Children of the King should reach for nothing less.
{ 0 comments… add one now }