Jesus’ first resting place here on earth was a manger. What a strange place to start his journey! It brought his speed way down. Suddenly, divine speed was much slower than ever. At the beginning of time God only had to slow down from eternity speed to walking speed when he did his first grace walk with Adam and Eve. But Jesus was way slower than this when he entered the world. He came as a weak baby in a manger. He came at sleeping speed. He had to be carried around at first. Jesus literally crawled into the world. He did grace at the slowest pace possible. At the same time, Jesus’ childhood town was Nazareth, a one horse town tucked away somewhere in the forgotten hills of Galilee. His disciples were a bunch of lowly fishermen and money swindling tax collectors. His followers included lowly tax collectors, sinners, women, children, the poor, the downtrodden - you name them!

To dream with one’s eyes wide open is expensive. Sometimes it’s highly dangerous actually. Jesus’ dream cost him his divine speed, his heavenly glory, his crown, his heavenly garments, the adoration of the angels, the safety and warmth of his Father’s heavenly dwelling, and eventually also his life. Jesus was downwardly mobile. He went from divine riches to sinners’ rags because he dared to realise his dreams to change the world. That’s why Jesus exchanged his heavenly crown for an earthly crown of thorns. He traded his heavenly garments for the dirty rags of a slave. He became a servant of the poorest of the poor and a slave to outcasts.

Learn from Jesus to dream with you eyes wide open. While doing this, take cognisance of the words of T. E. Lawrence who says: All people dream, but not equally. Those who dream by night, in the dusty recesses of their minds, wake in the day to find that it was vanity. But the dreamers of the day are dangerous, for they may act their dreams with open eyes to make it possible.