Tuesday, April 23, 2013

My Credit Card Number Was Stolen

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Last Friday I attempted to purchase a $1.99 app for my iPhone from iTunes. I was informed that my payment information was incorrect. I re-entered my card information but was told that my payment method was invalid, to choose another form of payment.

That wasn't what I planned on hearing, so I immediately called my bank. Sure enough, my card had been placed on hold because of a potential unauthorized online purchase. I didn't make the purchase. Neither did my wife. My card number had been stolen.

I cancelled my card, had new cards issued, and even requested that they be delivered overnight to me.

I am grateful for the fraud protection algorithms that are in place to target unusual activity that deviate from regular purchase patterns. (You mean there aren't 50 people in a room sitting in front of computer monitors watching purchases for millions of consumers? I don't know, are there?)

The bottom line is this: My credit card number was stolen, and I moved quickly to reverse, repair, and restore it.

What do we do when our dreams are stolen? Is there an agency in place to notify us when there is questionable activity? Do we rush in to repair and restore our dreams? Do we have safeguards in place that trigger when someone steals our dreams? Do we dispute when our dreams are no longer ours?

I believe that many people value their money over their dreams. They are quick to argue an unauthorized purchase, but allow dreams to dissipate without a second thought. And as a result, many of them wander through their lives focused on nothing more... than their next purchase.

Preserve your dreams, guard your aspirations, think big! Don't allow your dreams to be stolen. And if they are, go get them back.

Question: What do you do to preserve your dreams? Share your thoughts below in 'comments'.
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2 comments:

Rosita said...

Interesting concept!

I don't care that much for my own dreams, for I must wait upon the Lord to tell me what to do daily, hourly, minutely--my dreams are nothing if they are not His dreams. I don't do a very good job of listening, that's my problem, but I'm learning to listen. So, the only thing I work hard at preserving, safeguarding, and perfecting--even though, I may fail (He is patient)--is connecting to my Master, listening to what He wants me to do and do it.

Dreams can come and go and they may even be wrongly led, but His Word will remain forever and they are Life. What do you think?

Brad Lewis said...

Thank you for your comment Rosi! Your statement "my dreams are nothing if they are not His dreams" sums it all up. If we are not walking with Him intimately, then He has no input in our dreams.

We still need to dream: Look at Joseph, Esther, Moses, Ruth, Daniel, David, Paul, Hannah, pretty much everyone who walked with God in the Bible. They were dreamers.

Keep dreaming!

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