What happened to dreaming big...

Good morning all-

The question of the day is what happened to dreaming big?  You know when you were a little girl and you dreamed of your family, your job, your new invention or just baking a cake.  How about dressing up and imagining yourself as the fairy princess in the latest Cinderella film?  All of us had dreams. Dreams that were so much larger than ourselves.  And yet, as life ticked by, we lost sight of those gigantic dreams.  Why?  Reality set in, that's why.

I had a dream to be a doctor, that got thrown out because I couldn't pass Physics.  Then I was going to be a journalist, oh that got thrown out too.  And then, I was going to be a great Historian, well that didn't happen either.  So in a span of four years, three of my very ambitious dreams got washed away, never to be thought of again, until today.  Today, I was thinking of one of my very large dreams.  I prayed that I would go into business with my husband.  This dream happened long before I met my husband and do you know what happened this year, my husband started up a business and I am his financial and business advisor.  How did that come to fruition?  Honestly, I don't know.  I've thought about it. Maybe it was my boss taking the time to teach me about the fundamentals of small business financials or maybe it was the opportunity I was given to help run a business, either way I'm still not sure.  So three of my dreams were washed deep within the ground and one became a reality.  Now I have other dreams like writing a book and speaking to women throughout the world, will that come true? Time will tell.  The point I'm trying to make is that as our dreams are washed away so is the vision, excitement and expectation that our dreams can come true. 

This year has been full of dreams that have been squashed and opportunities that have been given.  When I look at this year I realize that God has had His hand in all things and that I need to dream bigger, believe more and let God take the wheel.  I love having the wheel and up until this last year my driving was excellent.  I was the NASCAR champion of my career. No one could stop me.  I had propelled to the pinnacle of all my hard work.  Well nothing is perfect and I hit a road block or two, I didn't die or even have severe injuries but I did have a concussion for a while.  It took a great amount of prayer for me to see that my opportunities are endless and I can make good of a very difficult situation.  I have learned that I'm not perfect.  Crazy to think I was anyway.  I really believed I understood people but I didn't.  I really believed that as long as I cared, people would care back, not so much.  And finally, I believed that my hard work and production would always be enough.  Well it hasn't been.  My life is not perfect, I'm not perfect, people aren't perfect and I still want to dream.

Writing my life goals and producing them into fruition has been my mantra.  I don't let "NO" impact my ability to perform.  I don't let what you think about me defeat me and I don't stop until I achieve. I am in control, right?  Wrong.  Although those things are admirable in the world, I'm not sure they are for God.  Goals are wonderful and I believe we should set them but they are not the end all of this life.  Every moment of the day, I'm thinking about how to achieve my goals.  What's left then for God to guide me, watch over me and produce fruit from my life?  Not much.  I've orchestrated everything weighing out the risk and the reward but I've left something out, my dreams.  Why do we squash our dreams?  I have because I had to provide.  Provision has been my compass and my entire focus and somewhere in that word, I began to believe I was actually responsible to provide for everyone.  What about Jesus, where was He?  Was He sitting on the sidelines?  No, He was waiting for me to be still, which by the way I'm horrible at.  My mind goes as fast as one of those race cars.  It propels around a track in less than 30 seconds and can solve problems, multi-task and rationalize all within the same time period.  It's a super highway of thoughts, feelings, and risk modeling.  I would hate to actually look inside.  So how does a person like me be still you might ask?  The answer: God brings me to my knees.  There is no greater way to get someone like me to slow down and listen than to put up obstacles I just can't scale alone.  That's how He got to me this year.  He put up road block after road block and with each one I found myself deeper in Scripture, more in tune with needing Him and praying until I didn't think I could pray anymore.  And this week, He got in, finally.

Having dreams is not wrong?  As a matter of fact, I think that's how God inspires us to be better.  Having dreams and believing your in control, that you can make them happen, that's the wrong part.  We must step forward and at the same time realize that Jesus will fulfill them if they are in His will.  Telling someone they aren't good at something is not going to take away a vision from God. I'm not good at math and yet, I can do accounting.  How did that happen?  Because God wanted it to happen, that's how.  My childhood dream and prayer to be in business with my mate came true years after I prayed it.  As a matter of fact, I had forgotten about it until this week when I was still.  Dreams come to us when we aren't trying to solve the world's issues.  They are inspired and when your a believer they are God inspired.  Don't let anyone tell you that you can't achieve anything you dream.  You can and you will if God is the captain of your ship.  Be at peace, don't try to figure out all the details, let Jesus gently guide you, just as He did for His disciples.  Jesus prayed for Peter because He knew the path Peter would take. If He did it for him, He's done it for us.  I leave you today with Jesus' prayer for Peter.  I've made it an image on my bible app so that I can remember He prayed for me too.

May your dreams propel you toward our Lord and Savior and may He make them a reality for His glory!

Luke 22:31-33 NIV
"Simon, Simon, Satan has asked me to sift all of you as wheat.  But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail.  And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers."