This is our house. This is our rules.

Ever since we were kids, adults have never failed to ask us the dreaded question, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” We never fail to answer with an over-sized, grandiose imagination, “Doctor…football player…tooth fairy…firefighter!” I mean, we really do believe with all of our heart that we will fulfill our wildest imaginations. Nothing stands in the way. And then, we start to grow up. As adolescence approaches, our imagination diminishes. We lose sight, then ultimately lose hope. What was once a goal with hopes to achieve becomes a dream that disappears at the sound of the alarm. We say “reality has set in”, but who says that is our reality?

Who can think about their dreams when life has to be dealt with?

Way too often I hear stories of people settling because the rollercoaster of life took an unexpected turn. A high-school teen finds out she’s pregnant her upcoming senior year. A college couple suffered a messy breakup and decides to transfer schools. A single dad going back to school fails his first two college exams. A married couple just finds out they had a miscarriage. A middle-class family loses their primary source of income due to a recession. These are not easy to bounce back from. In fact, any ounce of security and stability are snatched at once. Who can think about their dreams when life has to be dealt with?

Hands down, life gets tough, but it should not be at the expense of our aspirations. I have faced many obstacles along the path of getting an education. Nothing was ever given to me, and competition with other students was inescapable. There was always someone smarter, better qualified and more favorable than me. Aside from college problems, the storms of life never seemed to subside either. Relationships were rocky. Finances were never sufficient. Eating habits were shameful. If my aspirations of getting a degree were based on my circumstances, peers or qualifications, then I would’ve tapped out a long time ago.

Nevertheless, we were given a life with desires that lead us to our purpose. God has given us the gift of free-will with a variety of choices to choose from. When life body slams us, we can lay there helplessly or remember the hope we have in Christ.

This life is our temporary house. Our reality falls underneath the rules that we choose to follow. We can’t stop because our house has a few leaks. We won’t stop because we know that reality is only as we perceive it.

Rascal Flatts encourages us best in this, “And if one door opens to another door closed, I hope you keep on walkin’ till you find the window.”