Dream Out Loud

​I was rushing off to a high school football game. I'd eaten little all day. So there was only one thing to do.

Chick Fil A.

I pulled into the drive through. The line was a mile long. That's because everyone who was hungry and in a hurry was leaning on the same one thing to do.

The good news, as is customary at Chick Fil A, I was never tempted to put the car in park. At any other drive through I'd have put the car in park and taken a nap.

And missed my football game.

I was ordering my usual. Four strips, fries and a large sweet tea - breaking the rule I try to honor at all costs these days: no caffeine after 11AM. Which was likely going to be necessary since I'd be breaking the other rule I try to follow at all costs: bedtime no later than 9PM.

A young kid took my order. He asked my name. I told him Keith. Which made me wonder what his name was.

I looked at his name tag. His name was Doug. A future police officer.

Wait. What? A future police office.

I've done this hurry through the Chick Fil A line multiple times a week for years now. How had I never noticed these kids dreaming out loud on their name tags?

How had I never recognized the brilliance of a company encouraging kids taking chicken orders from grumpy old men on the way to a football game to dream while they worked?

"So you want to be a police office," I said.

I half expected him to respond like one of my teens would have - 'good to see grumpy old men can still read.'

But that's not the response I got. The response I got was, "yes sir, I do."

"I have no doubt you'll make a good one, kid," I told him. The kid just smiled.

As I drove to the game, eating my chicken almost as fast as that future police officer moved me through the line to get it, I wondered - what would my boys put on their name tag?

Then I wondered further - what would I put on mine?

I wondered, what would the world look like if we all ran around wearing name tags?

Keith - Future Author.

Joe - Future Teacher.

Jill - Future Entrepreneur.

Jimmy - Future Missionary.

Samantha - Future Mom.

What if we all ran around the world dreaming out loud with our name tags? What if we all had the chance to look at one another and say, I have no doubt you'll make a great one?

What if we all walked through this world knowing what we're doing right now isn't just about right now - it's about dreaming out loud?

I think we all need to be reminded to dream out loud. Wear it loud and proud on our name tags.

Because in many ways, dreaming is life.

It's our breath.

It's our heartbeat.

It's our soul.

If you're not feeling alive today, ask yourself: what would I put on my nametag today? If you don't know the answer, come up with one.

Come up with your dream. Put it on a name tag. And who knows, maybe the next time you are rushing through a Chick Fil A drive through - wear that name tag.

Let that future police officer know we are all dreaming together.