Do you have a dream in your heart that is bigger than you, beyond anything you thought you could? But, all you can do is wonder how you are going to pull it off? Sixteen years ago I too had a dream. It was to become a senior minister of a church. Here was my resume: I had recently retired from playing professional football and just started my career as a campus minister. I didn’t have years of ministry under my belt, but I had a dream, and by the grace of God, it was going to come to pass.
From the beginning, I wasn’t in this alone. God brought three other young men into my life that had a similar dream. They were campus missionaries at Historically Black Colleges and Universities around the country. They too wanted to serve the church as senior leaders. Almost instantly we went beyond simply being friends — we became each other’s champions.
I cannot emphasize enough how important it is to find people that will champion you where you are at now. Few of us are able to reach our goals on our own. If you look at many successful people you will find a team of people behind them that are helping them attain their goals. We live in a culture that says success comes easy, but it doesn’t. The process of realizing your dream can be agonizing and you need people there to encourage you when you are at your lowest. On top of that, you need people who will grind with you until you begin to see results, and that is what I had in these friends.
When I think of that group of friends that I had back then, this verse comes to mind: “Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works.” (Hebrews 10:24) I remember our many phone calls, checking in to find out how we were doing and how our campus ministries were coming along. We would ask each other how we could help, and if there was anything we could do on their campuses to help build momentum.
We also set goals for our ministries. These goals kept us focused and allowed us to keep building. We could see the progress we were making and places where we had to press in even more. There were many sleepless nights, as we continued to believe God to help us with raising up the next generation of leaders on black college campuses across the country. We didn’t know it then, but this was preparing us for the work of being senior ministers.
Sixteen years of friendship and counting. That is what it took for us to get where we are today. Who would have ever thought that 4 young campus ministers who were chasing a dream would end up becoming Senior Ministers in churches across the country? Each of us can trace the dream back to our relationship with each other and how we spent time cultivating it together. To this day we still keep in touch and have solid relationships.
Through this process, I learned that no man should walk alone. When I was a young campus minister I didn’t think that way. It was all about me and my things, my life, what I wanted. I never realized how much I would need my brothers, and I am so grateful that they have been there with me through it all. We could not have come this far on our own, and I thank God every day for bringing my brothers along for the journey.
God knows exactly WHO you need to achieve your potential on this earth.
Ask Him today to show you those friends who will help you to carry your dream until you begin to live it.