You might be actively working toward your big dream right now. Or you could be covering it up, telling yourself it's not the right time, you're not the right person, that it's not the right dream for you.
I know about big dreams. I also know they require more than we imagine.
Eight years passed between the time I realized I wanted to write and when I actually wrote my first book. The book stunk, and I was overwhelmed by my duties as a stay-at-home mom. I prayed and felt God asking me to set the dream aside for a while. I complied. More years passed and, during them, I joined a writer's group, wrote assignments, and read tons of novels.
Fourteen years after I initially claimed my dream, I began seriously pursuing it. My prayers led me to the green light, but I still had so much to learn.
I naively believed that having a big dream meant it had to come true, and soon! Sacrifice is always rewarded, right? But I underestimated just how competitive this field is, how much additional learning I would need, and how much I needed to grow spiritually.
There have been times I've wanted to quit. It would be easier for me to get "a real job." But after twenty years, this dream won't go away, and I'm convinced it's not just mine, it's God's dream for me. How do I know this? Because I pray. Every day. I ask God to lead me to where I'm supposed to be, what I'm supposed to do. And this is it.
I'd like to share a paragraph of All In:You're One Decision Away from a Totally Different Life by Mark Batterson.
"Going all out for God is not just about getting where God wants you to go. It's about who you become in the process. And it's not about how quickly you get there. It's about how far you go."
Yes. This has been my experience. Every day I work toward my dream, and I've become much more than a writer. I've become someone God can use because my dream became less about me and more about Him.
I've been on top of the world, honored, thrilled, validated, and I've been defeated, rejected, humbled, brought low. The one thing I remain? Committed.
Don't be afraid to go after your big dream! Pray on it. God will give you the strength you need. The road will have turns, but He'll point you in the right direction. Someone else's path might be half a mile. Yours might be six thousand miles. It doesn't matter. Stay committed.
Have you taken steps toward your big dream? Have set-backs made you reconsider? How did you move forward?
Have a lovely Monday!
