The Family that Dreams Together

With nothing but summer reruns on we decided to watch a movie as a family. We ended up choosing "The Astronaut Farmer." I don't think it was a "blockbuster" at the box office but it did have a very good message.

Charles Farmer (Billy Bob Thorton) is a former astronaut in training who gave up his dream job to save his family's farm. He's faced bank foreclosure, neighborhood naysayers and a government alarmed by his huge purchase of high-grade fuel, but now he's ready to blast into space inside the homemade rocket he built in his barn.
Billy Bob Thornton portrays Charlie in this charmer about chasing dreams...and about what it means to be a family. 10,000 pounds of rocket fuel alone can't lift Charlie into the heavens. He needs a launch/recovery crew, and he has one of the best: his wife (Virginia Madsen) and children, dreamers all. They have liftoff. Our spirits have uplift. Gravity cannot hold down our dreams. (Amazon product description)

In the midst of everything he goes through, a quote from Charlie's father-in-law really brought me some perspective. "Charlie, you're a fantastic father!," he said. "Me, I could never get my family around the table for dinner together, but you, you have your family dreaming together!"

Isn't that a powerful testament? This man's entire life revolved around two things, family and dreams. He told his wife who was fearing for his life, "If I can't show them (his children) that I can realize this dream, I'll have given them nothing."

THAT is legacy! It doesn't matter if I leave my children millions of dollars, it would be nice but the real question would be, did they witness what I had to go through to earn it. Do our children know what OUR dreams are? Have they seen us realize those dreams?

I write, talk, and breathe a lot about "God-ordained destiny." I am a firm believer that God ordained an awesome destiny for us all. However, we must pursue it! We have to chase it, work it out, and realize it!

Craig and I tell our children every day that they have an awesome God ordained destiny. We encourage them to develop their character, gifts, abilities, and anointing right now. But last night as I watched the movie, it hit me, I'm dreaming with them, but have I given them the opportunity to dream with me? Do they know my dreams, can they see the fulfillment of God's plans for me happening in my life? Are we dreaming together as a family?

I realized last night that one of the sure fire ways my girls' will pursue the fulfillment of their destinies in Christ is by seeing mine and Craig's fulfilled. That is the BEST legacy we can leave them!

What are YOUR dreams for yourself and/or your family? DREAM together!