“According to your faith will it be done to you.”1
In the book, Chicken Soup for the Soul, Chuck Webster tells a story about Monty Roberts, the son of an itinerant horse trainer. Growing up Monty went with his father from stable to stable, farm to farm, and ranch to ranch training horses. Consequently he missed much of his high school education. As a senior he was asked to write a paper on what career he wanted to pursue. That night he wrote a seven-page paper describing in great detail his goal to build and own a dream horse ranch.
The next day he turned his paper in. Two days later he received it back. On the front page was a large red “F” with a note that read, “See me after class.” When he saw the teacher, he asked why he was given an “F”.
“The teacher said, ‘This is an unrealistic dream for a young boy like you. You have no money. You come from an itinerant family. You have no resources. Owning a horse ranch requires a lot of money. You have to buy the land. You have to pay for the original breeding stock and later you’ll have to pay large stud fees. There’s no way you could ever do it.’ Then the teacher added, ‘If you will rewrite this paper with a more realistic goal, I will reconsider your grade.’”
After thinking about it for a week, he turned the paper back in exactly as he had first written it saying to the teacher, “You can keep the F and I’ll keep my dream.”
Today, “Monty Roberts owns a 4,000-square-foot house in the middle of a 200-acre horse ranch in San Ysidro [California]. Oh, and he still has that school paper framed over the fireplace. He didn’t allow his teacher to crush his dream.2 I believe that he also owns a ranch in Santa Ynez Valley in Southern California.
Do you have a dream—especially if it is a God-given dream—don’t let Satan or anyone else “pouf” it out.
Suggested prayer: “Dear God, help me to know what your God-given purpose and dream for my life is, and give me the faith and persistence to never give up until it is fulfilled. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”
1. Matthew 9:29 (NIV).
2. Chicken Soup For the Soul, as quoted by Chuck Webster, “Dream Big,” The Words of Truth, Sept. 2003, p. 3. Cited on KneEmail. http://www.oakhillcoc.org/
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