Perfectly Imperfect – A Travel Guide for Life, Faith, and Relationships!

Most of you know the fun of seeing a dream come true. There’s nothing quite like watching something you’ve only imagined become a reality. Dreams inspire us. Dreams motivate us. Dreams matter.

Recently, I got to go up in a hot air balloon. My kids and wife gave this experience to me as a birthday gift. It was incredible—oddly peaceful and invigorating all at the same time. It was also a dream come true!

Several years ago, I got to parachute out of a plane from 12,000 feet. I screamed like a little boy with a new puppy most of the way down. (You can see the YouTube video here.) This experience was another dream come true.

As most of you know, over the past couple of years, I’ve been to Africa several times. In fact, as you read this, I’m on my back to Botswana for about ten days training African pastors. The joy of working with these men and women is an honor that is truly breathtaking for me.

I know how this might seem to you. Some of you are thinking: Bubna is such an adrenalin junkie! What he calls “adventure,” I call crazy! What he calls a dream come true, I call a nightmare!

But I’m convinced that every one of us has the promise of an abundant life! If that’s true—and it is—then what do you dream about doing, and what’s holding you back?

Please understand that I’m not encouraging any of you to do anything you don’t want to do. Just the opposite, in fact. Maybe your dream has absolutely nothing to do with floating in a balloon, jumping out of a plane, or going to a distant land. Fine. That’s not the point.

What do you wish to do? What’s on your bucket list? What do you dream about on a regular basis?

Here’s something I’ve discovered about fulfilling a desire: It takes an intentional strategy because dreams rarely happen by accident.

So, what does it take to get there from here?

1. Use your God-given imagination. God gave you and me the ability to foresee what could happen. He gave us the capacity to dream. So dream, and dream big!

2. Tell others about your dream. Something happens when we dare to speak the dream out loud to others. From that point on, it’s no longer just an internal desire but a spoken wish. And good friends will hold you accountable.

3. Get support from others. I’m not necessarily talking about money here (although balloon ride gifts are cool). I’m referring here to asking others to help you find the path to fulfilling your dreams. In other words, learn from other dreamers.

4. Plan a way to get ‘r done. What needs to happen first? What will it cost? What training or preparation is required. Start somewhere, and move forward one step at a time.

5. Schedule it. Here’s a simple truth: What we schedule tends to get done; what we don’t schedule rarely does. Put something on the calendar today. If need be, you can always reschedule, but a date tends to drive you to action.

6. Learn to press through the obstacles. Nothing great comes easy. You can count on setbacks, complications, and hurdles along the way. Decide to keep going no matter what the challenges. Not all delays are devastating.

7. Don’t listen to the naysayers. Sadly, too many of us sit on the sidelines of life (or probably up in the nose-bleed seats) screaming at the dreamers, “You’re too old!” “You’re too poor!” “You’re not talented or smart enough!” “You’ll never be able to do that!” Do yourself a huge favor: tune out the cynics and stay the course.

8. Take some risk and go for it! At some point, you need to pull the trigger. You won’t have everything figured out. You won’t feel like you’re ready. You’ll have a ton of questions. And it’s okay. Take the leap and see what happens.

I’ve worked with people for over forty years, and I’ve watched too many give up on their dreams and die a slow death. They live with regrets and are often plagued with remorse. You know them too. They are empty souls who tend to watch too much reality TV as a poor substitute for personal adventure. And life—abundant life—then becomes nothing more than a distant memory.

How sad.

I’ve also seen ordinary people do extraordinary things because they wouldn’t let go of a dream.

Which path will you choose?

I pray you will become and stay a dreamer.

Why? Because following Jesus is supposed to be an adventure!

You direct me on the path that leads to a beautiful life.

As I walk with You, the pleasures are never-ending,

and I know true joy and contentment.

Psalm 16:11 (VOICE)