IT'S TIME TO DREAM

In the last days it will be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh,

and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams.

Acts 2:17

When he was 16, Booker T. Washington decided he wanted to go to school. The year was 1872, and for a boy born a slave, who had no idea who his white father was, this was an enormous leap of faith. He set his sights on the Hampton Institute in Hampton, Virginia. With nothing but a small sack of old clothes, he started walking from Malden, West Virginia, to the school….500 miles away.

Eventually he made it to Richmond, about 80 from the school. He worked there for a few days unloading pig iron from ships and sleeping at night on the ground under a boardwalk. Finally, he continued his journey and reached Hampton Institute.

And while his challenge of getting there was over, the task of getting admitted to the school had just begun. Seeing no reason why he shouldn’t be allowed to attend, he approached the Head Teacher and asked her to admit him right away.

Later, in his memoirs, Booker T. Washington recalled the rest of his story. "Having been so long without proper food, a bath, and change of clothing, I did not make a very favorable impression upon her, and I could see at once that there were doubts in her mind about the wisdom of admitting me as a student."

While Booker waited anxiously for her decision, he watched as the teacher admitted several others. But, he would not let his dream die. Then one day he saw a small opportunity. Having run out of delay tactics, she said to him, "The adjoining recitation-room needs sweeping. Take the broom and sweep it."

"It occurred to me at once that here was my chance," he remembers. "Never did I receive an order with more delight...I swept the recitation-room three times. Then I got a dusting-cloth and I dusted it four times." He cleaned every corner of the room, even the walls and closets.

"I had the feeling," he continued, "that in a large measure my future depended upon the impression I made upon the teacher in the cleaning of that room. When I was through, I reported to her. She was a woman who knew just where to look for dirt. She went into the room and inspected the floor and closets: then she took her handkerchief and rubbed it on the woodwork about the walls, and over the table and benches. When she was unable to find one bit of dirt on the floor, or a particle of dust on any of the furniture, she quietly remarked, `I guess you will do to enter this institution.'

"I was one of the happiest souls on earth. The sweeping of that room was my college examination, and never did any youth pass an examination for entrance into Harvard or Yale that gave him more genuine satisfaction. I have passed several examinations since then, but I have always felt that this was the best one I ever passed."

Not only did Booker T. Washington pass that “examination”, but he stayed on as janitor to pay expenses all through college. In June 1875 he graduated on the honor roll and as one of the commencement speakers.

Booker T. Washington was a man of faith and a dreamer who backed up both with action. What kind of dreams are coming from your faith? Remember, the greater your faith in the Lord Jesus, the greater your dreams will be. He is the maker of dreams and visions. And when you allow yourself to see through the His eyes, then you will begin to see the incredible life that awaits you.

It takes faith to dream great dreams. Because faith makes your dreams come true. And the time to take action is now.

Today’s prayer

Lord Jesus, I want to fulfill every dream you have for my life. I know that this can’t happen without you guiding me and giving me strength. Please share the vision you have for me and walk with me as we make this dream come true. Today, remind me to stand up and take action, knowing that through you all things are possible. Amen.