He shared about a dream. At length. It obviously had been something mulling about in his heart for a while. It certainly had been thought about often enough. And then he said it. You know. The sentence you say out loud which basically causes you to let go of the dream – –
“But what if it fails? What if I fail?”
Being one who believes no one has the right to kill a dream, I shot back with – –
“But what if you don’t? What if you succeed?”
Dreams have the amazing ability to excite and inspire us while at the same time, scaring us half to death. If we are honest with ourselves, we never feel as alive as when we are dreaming. It is in the very pursuit of our dreams that we feel the thrill of life.
Jesus came to give each of our lives purpose and meaning and fulfillment. The enemy of our souls longs to steal that from each of us causing us to live unproductive lives which are empty and devoid of satisfaction.
Jesus tells us:
“The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.” (John 10:10, NLT)
Our fear of failure and our insecurities of not being enough will do one of two things … they will either kill the dream before we even start the pursuit or they will cause the dream to appear so large as to be unobtainable. Either way, we will let the dream die.
But what if, just what if, we were to change the way we view the dream? What if we didn’t view it as being about the dream but about our God?
If you’ve never had a God-sized dream that scared you half to death, then you haven’t really come to life. If you’ve never been overwhelmed by the impossibility of your plans, then your God is too small.
(Mark Batterson, as quoted in Rhinestone Jesus by Kristen Welch, page 79)
The next time you think about your dream, ask yourself this question -Â Is your dream too big or your God too small?
And then remember …..
Your dream may be big but your God is bigger still!
Today I am sharing with … Soli Deo Gloria and Unite and Playdates With God and Titus 2 Tues. and Tell Me a Story and Testimony Tues. and Teaching What Is Good and Titus 2sday and Coffee for Your Heart .
I am often convicted that I don’t dream big enough. If God promises more than I can ask or imagine, why do I give up on the big dreams and back down to being willing to accept the small dreams? Great post, Joanne! Thanks for linking up to Testimony Tuesday.
Right there with you, Holly. I am currently challenging myself (and some family members) to dream bigger.
When we allow God to inspire our dreams, we can dare to dream God-sized dreams! Lovely post and thanks for linking up today.
Oh so true, Kate. Love that! Thank you for sharing here with me!
Acting on a dream (or vision) might seem silly at times, but what do you have to lose? If the dream is God given it is worth stepping out! Thank you for sharing with us here at “Tell Me a Story.”
And when the dream is God given, we must step out. Thank you for reminding me of this today. Blessings to you Hazel!
Hi Joanne! it is so easy to dismiss our dreams because of the many reasons that seem to fly to the surface when the dream first materializes. Knowing that God is bigger than all of our negative reasons is so reassuring. Hope you have a wonderful week!
So very true, Mary. And the negative reasons seem to surface more quickly & in number than the positive reasons for moving forward on the dream. May I learn to bring my reasoning under His umbrella of protection & gain His perspective. Thank you for sharing with me!
Joanne,
I have been asking God what are your dreams for me? I need His help and vision….Thanks for the thoughts to ponder 🙂
May God reveal & lead you in the path He has marked for you, Dolly. I am presently discovering the best place to start is with asking Him the very question you are asking. Blessings!