Hold On Tight To Your Dreams

“When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dreamed.” – Psalm 126:1

I remember so vividly the day my dad got his very first iPod. My dad and I have always shared a love of music, so I was really excited for him to receive such a fun gift. But I had no idea what this gift would require of me.

My dad will be the first to admit that technology is not always his strong suit. So when it came time for him to purchase and add songs to his iPod, he asked for my help. And by help, he meant he wanted me to let him listen to the 90 second preview of every song from the last 50 years so he could tell me the stories and memories he associated with each song. I should have been given a “Move Valuable Daughter” award that year.

As we listened to many of my dad’s favorite songs while we were syncing up his iPod, there were actually several songs I really liked (surprisingly), particularly the songs from the 80s. One of the catchiest songs my dad introduced me to from that decade is called Hold On Tight by Electric Light Orchestra. But even though I really liked the song, it wasn’t until recently I paid close attention to the lyrics. The song goes like this:

When you see your ship go sailing
When you feel your heart is breaking
Hold on tight to your dream

When you need a shoulder to cry on
When you get so sick of trying
Just hold on tight to your dream

When you get so down that you can't get up
And you want so much, but you're all out of luck
When you're so downhearted and misunderstood

Just hold on tight to your dream

I can’t help but smile as I read these lyrics, thinking about what a great reminder it gives us to keep dreaming and keep hoping despite our circumstances. When you find yourself stuck between where you were and where you want to be for an extended period of time, it can be easy to lose your capacity to dream. As Proverbs 13:12 says, “Hope deferred makes the heart sick.” When your feel heart-sick, dreaming is the last thing on your mind. But today’s key verse from Psalm 126 encourages us to never stop dreaming, even when what we’re hoping for hasn’t become a reality yet. 

Take the Israelites for example. They had been delivered from their captivity in Babylon, but they had to wait for the land of Zion to be restored so they could return to it. This waiting seemed to go on forever, but then Psalm 126:1 says, “When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dreamed.” 

Surviving those seasons of waiting requires us to keep dreaming, rather than giving up and losing hope. Maybe you know what it’s like to be stuck and held captive to a reality you didn’t want or ask for. Maybe you feel stuck in that reality right now. If that’s you, find comfort and encouragement from the psalmist’s words and don’t forget that delay is not the same as denial. You can’t allow the reality of where you are cause you to give up on your dreams. 

So don’t let your circumstances cancel out your capacity to dream. Instead, hold on tight to your God-given dreams, and trust that the Lord will be faithful to fulfill His promises in your life, even if that fulfillment takes longer than you expected.