“If we don’t need God in order to achieve the dreams we’re dreaming then we’re not dreaming big enough.”
Have you been dreaming big enough lately?
I have decided to dream big.
It was an actual choice. At first I was hesitant because it seemed a little selfish, not to mention HUGE. But then I remembered my new job.
I started a new job six months ago. I had been praying about my job situation for a while…years. And it took me a long time to get right down to what I wanted. I wasn’t even sure if that was what God wanted for me, and several times along the way, I sat down and considered giving up.
Giving up. It’s not so easy to spot all of the time.
Sometimes it’s disguised in spiritual garb. It holds its head up and says, “God does not want me to do this or that.” It doesn’t make that statement from a conviction of the spirit. No, this announcement comes as a result of the road being hard and the answers taking too long.
Sometimes giving up is all clothed in self-pity and despair and wears the shoes of self-deprecation and the belt of deceit. “Oh, I’m just not good enough. I’ve messed up too much to ever have that dream come true.“ I could be really sarcastic here, but I won’t.
Sometimes giving up quietly slips out the door taking away a little part of us and leaving us with a sense of settling for the lesser things of life. “No, it was apparent being a writer wasn’t for me, and I’m very happy to be working this job.“ You know if you’re settling whenever you spend more time trying to convince yourself of your new predicament than actually living in it.
Pretty much the only kind of giving up that’s any good at all is the kind where we stop trying to fix everything and just let go.
Not that we should just do nothing, but seriously, the good stuff is from God, not from the fact I put in 80 hours and covered ever base so well it looks like the pitcher’s mound.
Not by might, not by chariots….(Of course the might and the chariots are helpful, but real victory only comes from the hand of God)
After weeks and weeks, I gave up on the job thing. Not that I quit looking and sending out resumes, but I didn’t let it control me. I did my part. The rest was up to God. And I put it all out there. I made a ridiculous list of three things I wanted in this job I was looking for. I don’t usually do that when I pray, but this time, I figured I didn’t have anything to lose, so I asked him for a writing job, with great people, and something very specific about my salary (which I’ll keep to myself).
It wasn’t until after I’d been at my new job for a few weeks that it dawned on me. God gave me what I asked for and then some. So I’ve decided to keep dreaming big. My dreams are going to be things I can in no way achieve on my own.
How ‘bout you? Are you dreaming up things that will require God’s help to achieve?
Mary Beth, great reminder. Sometimes I think I dream too big, but I realize if you give it to God, and thank him for His blessings before hand, He will bless you. This has occurred to Wilma and I on several occasions lately.
Say hello to the family and love ya’all.
Thank you and keep on writing.
Dream too big. Posh. Dream on, George! Sometimes we get the most out of the journey, not the end result. Love and miss you guys!
Mary Beth, I love your opening quote. I believe God enjoys fulfilling dreams so big that only He could make it happen. God is glorified when He is the only possible explanation for an outcome better than all we can ask for or imagine. Your post is also a great encouragement to me. Last summer I walked away from my job when my wife was unemployed and our daughter ready to start college so I could fulfill the burning desire in my heart to write. A year later, my book is coming along s-l-o-w-l-y (I think a tortoise just passed… Read more »
Thanks David. It’s not easy dreaming like that. When I was in college, I was worried I’d end up living out my life in mediocrity, trading real living for easy living. Now I’m starting to see a lot of that is up to me. How far am I willing to jump? May God be glorified not only with the outcome of our risks, but in the journey as well. Living sacrifices, all the way.