Never Give Up On Your Dreams
Never Give Up On Your Dreams
(William Tyndale Story)
By Stacy James
Written January 31, 2001
(January 31, 2001. Dear Diary,) I have been so frustrated lately – burdened, overwhelmed; feeling defeated. I realized I’m tired of chasing my dreams only to feel like they keep slipping through my fingers. I want so much to become an inspirational speaker, write my book, write articles, and play my sports full-time – as my full-time job, not at midnight and not squeezing them in wherever I can. I want to have it as a full-time ministry, not working on it after my “real job,” so I can finally relax and have a life.
As much as I try to relax, though, my dreams don’t die. I work harder and harder in the chase, because somewhere down deep I still believe that someday they’ll come true. Do you ever feel that way?
Well, just today I read that William Tyndale, who lived in the 1500′s, was also a fellow dreamer. Tyndale had a burning desire to place the English Scripture into the hands of the common man. (At the time it was in Latin, and only available to the popes – note: Stacy, check on this fact). He once hotly replied to a fellow priest: “If God spares my life, before many years pass I will make it possible for a boy behind a plow to know more Scripture than you do” (p.268, church history book).
Tyndale’s dream was not easy. His undertaking was not welcome in England , where he lived, and he was forced to flee the Continent. He did not give up, however. He began to print the New Testament, and in 1526 began smuggling his first copies back into his homeland.
Tyndale continued his work, translating the Old Testament and revising the New, but church officials hounded him and put him in prison. After seventeen months there, he was burned at the stake, praying, “Lord, open the king of England’s eyes.”
His death wasn’t the end of his dream, however. During Tyndale’s imprisonment, another scholar, Miles Coverdale, had published a complete translation of the Bible. It was basically Tyndale’s work, supplemented by Latin and German versions.
A year after Tyndale’s death, yet another English translation appeared – a combination of both Tyndale’s and Coverdale’s work. This was called the “Great Bible,” and King Henry the 8th authorized it to be bought and read throughout the land. Thus, Tyndale’s dying prayer–and dream–was answered.
I realize the more I live that great dreams and worthwhile feats do not come without hard work and often great sacrifice. I sacrifice my time, my sleep, my money, and often close relationships to pursue the passions on my heart. Others have given up even more than I have. But the dreams do not die, and I am empowered by those who have gone before and have seen their dreams realized. Thank you, William Tyndale, for your courage and unwavering spirit, so that I could read and know my favorite book, the Bible.
You may be a fellow dreamer. No matter how big or how small, don’t give up! Whether you want to change the world or simply some aspect of your life, no dream or goal is insignificant if the Lord God put it on your heart. God has a special purpose for you that no one else can carry out in the unique way that you can. Keep dreaming, keep striving, my friend, and someday the world may be different because of you. Maybe my dreams aren’t slipping so much after all.
Postscript:
On June 28, 2004, Stacy James started her own inspirational company and became a full-time speaker, author, and athlete.