Dream Again
Rhythms of Renewal: Create Rhythm - Dream Again
“God put me on this earth to accomplish a certain number of things. Right now I am so far behind, I will never die.”
— Calvin, from Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson
For some odd reason, I had this quotation and an accompanying image of the philosopher Calvin (of the duo, Calvin and Hobbes) on my bedroom wall when I was in high school. I’m not normally a big Calvin and Hobbes fan, but for some reason this sentiment caught my attention and resonated with me at that particular stage of my life. I have to admit that my teenage self was sometimes overwhelmed by the schedule I kept—overflowing with commitments: high school, basketball (both for school and participation on an AAU team), softball, church, and working part-time at the local grocery store. Yet, I also simultaneously felt that my days were filled with purpose, meaning, and intention, as well as endless to-do lists that made me feel like what I was doing mattered and was important.
"God put me on this earth to accomplish a certain number of things. Right now I am so far behind, I will never die." — Calvin, from Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson
Rebekah Lyons mentions that Viktor Frankl, survivor of four concentration camps and author of Man’s Search for Meaning, suggests that “we all desire meaning in three specific categories: work, love, and suffering” (225). She also explores the idea that we live in a culture of “affluence and boredom” (226). Where do we find meaning in our lives in 2025 America?
As Frankl proposes, some people find that ambition in the category of work. What do we do in our daily routines that make this world a better place? This could look like a myriad of things depending on what our job is, but the most important part is to get up in the morning with that question and intent in mind. Perhaps we don’t have a job that comes with a paycheck. However, that certainly doesn’t mean you aren’t working. Perhaps your work might look more like Frankl’s second category—love. Maybe you’re reading dozens of books to a toddler in the privacy of your home or writing cards to people who need encouragement. We have to remember that the purpose and value that we bring to the world through our activities and choices can prevent us from experiencing the anxiety that flows from a life without meaning and purpose.
When we evaluate how we spend our time, we need to be realistic and honest about where those minutes and hours are going each day. Neil Postman wrote a book in 1985 entitled Amusing Ourselves to Death, in which he prophesied, “People will come to adore the technologies that undo their capacities to think” (227). No matter what job we have or what work occupies our day, too often in this world of constant access to technology we allow ourselves to fritter away those precious gifts of time by staring at our phones or our screens. Those opportunities to find purpose and meaning slip away along with it!
When you look at your life, where do you see that time and energy you are investing accumulating?
I’m currently doing a read-aloud to my 11-year-old son of The Count of Monte Cristo (this was his stunning choice, just to be transparent). In the previous chapter that we read, you can see the incredibly stark difference between two prisoners shut up in a dungeon and what they have each done with the past six years of their lives. It’s eye-opening to realize that we can shut ourselves into a dungeon of our own creation and miss out on all the opportunities to intentionally strive toward making our home, community, state, nation, and world a better place. Even when we are going through a time of suffering, God can redeem that seemingly lost time into something bigger and more beautiful than we can possibly imagine. Keep your awareness sharp and breathe deeply of what God places in the pathways of your life’s journey day by day.
