The really big dream. Do you have one of those?
I've been listening to an audio series by Ransomed Heart that's all about dreams lately. In it, John Eldredge says that extravagant dreams do not make us strange or set us up for failure. Instead, they show a longing within us for the kingdom of God, for something much fuller and much grander than our everyday existence.
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It's easy to look at dreams as opportunities for disappointment. And if we're not careful, before long, we begin to harden our hearts against hope in the name of guarding them. But really, all we're actually trying to do is keep ourselves from failure and a sense of disappointment.
In the audio series, John asks listeners to think of a time of sheer bliss--maybe a moment on the beach or even just a quiet time with a cup of tea in your backyard-- and to also think of several dreams that excite you but seem unreachable. These moments, he says, show a longing within us for the kingdom of God.
Think about a time when you've seen a brilliant rainbow or a spectacular sunset. Think of the way that energized and inspired you. Now consider the way dreams can do the exact same thing.
See, I really believe we should be spending more time affirming and encouraging our dreams instead of discouraging them. For, if we don't feed the dream that God has placed within our hearts, who will?
What if, instead of looking at dreams as fancy that ought to be tempered, we looked at them as powerful instruments of the most high God? What if we considered that dreams are often the very whispers of God's will in our lives, and yet we fail to move to the next level of faith because we are so filled with dream killers?
Some of these dream killers include...
It's easy to look at dreams as opportunities for disappointment. And if we're not careful, before long, we begin to harden our hearts against hope in the name of guarding them. But really, all we're actually trying to do is keep ourselves from failure and a sense of disappointment.
In the audio series, John asks listeners to think of a time of sheer bliss--maybe a moment on the beach or even just a quiet time with a cup of tea in your backyard-- and to also think of several dreams that excite you but seem unreachable. These moments, he says, show a longing within us for the kingdom of God.
Think about a time when you've seen a brilliant rainbow or a spectacular sunset. Think of the way that energized and inspired you. Now consider the way dreams can do the exact same thing.
See, I really believe we should be spending more time affirming and encouraging our dreams instead of discouraging them. For, if we don't feed the dream that God has placed within our hearts, who will?
What if, instead of looking at dreams as fancy that ought to be tempered, we looked at them as powerful instruments of the most high God? What if we considered that dreams are often the very whispers of God's will in our lives, and yet we fail to move to the next level of faith because we are so filled with dream killers?
Some of these dream killers include...
- Doubt
- Naysayers
- Blindness to purpose
- Rejection
- Fear
- Feelings of failure
- Attempts to protect our own hearts
Have any of these dream killers swept in and silenced the dreams of your heart? In no time, they can leave a dream dormant, wreaking havoc upon our hope.
But consider 2 Corinthians 4:7. "But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that this everlasting power is from God and not from us."
A new question then arises. Do we really believe in God's ability to bring to pass the dreams and visions He has purposed in our hearts? And if we do, then why aren't we living like it? Why do we allow fear and doubt and destructive thoughts to have free reign over the things God has called us to be and to achieve?
The whole process is really pretty simple if we didn't complicate it so much. God calls, and He equips. We don't have to see how He's going to do it or already have all the gifts and skills it's going to take to get to the other side of the dream. We just have to allow ourselves to be vulnerable and to keep dreaming, trusting God to give us what we need at each step of the journey.
When we rely on Him, He shifts our focus from our own current abilities to our kingdom desires, and enables us to achieve those things.
Do you have any dreams lying dormant in your heart today? Maybe it's time to allow God to breathe life back into those things and move forward along the journey. I hope you're encouraged today to stop viewing the dreams of your heart as silly or outlandish, and to start investing in them. If God put them there, and if you really believe He can do all things, then you also have to believe He can and will accomplish His purpose through your dreams. He hasn't forgotten His plan. Your heart should be your compass, not a casualty.
