Have you been there? Do you want to know what my friend did?
Picked a different dream. Something a little safer, a little easier to reach. Something a little less dream-like. It broke my heart. I got down on my knees and cried. I cried out to the God who created us to dream, then allows dreams to be broken. And as I cried, I saw a picture.
Do you want to know what I saw?
I saw a picture of a crossroads. My friend was walking down the road. It was a beautiful road, smooth and gentle, lined with happy green hills and soft flowers. My friend was holding someone’s hand and laughing.
But Jesus wasn’t on that road. Jesus was standing at the crossroads, beckoning my friend down a different path. A dark path. A rocky, frightening, lonely path.
Do you want to know what I saw in Jesus’ eyes?
Pain.
No condemnation. No anger. No hardness. No regret. Just pain. Sorrow and sadness and heartache. Like He was saying with His eyes, “Where are you going? Won’t you come back to Me?”
It split my heart open. Deep, deep down to the very roots. Not my friend’s choice. Not the disobedience. Not even the giving up. But the look in the eyes of Jesus. That’s what split my heart open.
Do you want to know what He said?
“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”
No condemnation. That’s what He said. As my friend walked away, laughing.
We’ve been talking a lot about dreams on this tour of ours. We’ve been asking people what their dreams are, where their hearts come alive, what’s got them on fire. Many of us have buried our dreams pretty deep. Maybe you’re one of them. Have you ever walked away from your Savior and God? Have you ever chosen a dream that wasn’t His? I’ve seen the look on His face as He stares after you. No condemnation, He says to my friend. He says the same thing to you.
