In his first letter to Timothy, the Apostle Paul passed along his dream that all men may live peaceful and quiet lives in godliness and holiness. The pursuit of his dream helped establish the church and made the world a better place. Some 1,900 years later, Martin Luther King, Jr. shared his dream with America from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. His I Have a Dream speech launched a movement that reshaped our country into a better place. 

Bruce Wilkinson, in his book The Dream Giver, reminds that we all have dreams, but along the way many of us seem to give up on them. But some, like Apostle Paul and Martin Luther King, Jr., choose to pursue them. Another such example are Rand and Colleen Southard. For the past several years it has been a real blessing to watch their dreams become reality. Rand and Colleen describe how their childhood experiences fashioned the foundation for their passion to care for children with disabilities. But their dream took a real turn one night as they both bolted up in bed each awakened by God’s revealing call. They were to be entrusted with the lives of young people suffering with severe learning disabilities and victimized by emotional disorders. That night a dream was born into a commitment and soon thereafter Star Programs became a fledgling reality. 

For all of their married lives, Rand and Colleen have been pursuing their dream and for the past sixteen years that dream is manifested in the transformation of the lives of young people. Because of their passion, commitment and sacrifices, many have been healed. Some now live independent and productive lives, others remain in the program for further development, and a few suffer conditions that may never allow them to leave the safety and supervision offered by the program. But all have felt the warm loving hands of Jesus Christ in their lives. That is what the dream really is. 

When passionate and committed people dare to pursue their dreams, the world becomes a better place. I have a dream. I’ll bet you have one too. We can make the world a better place if we have the courage to chase them.