I have always daydreamed about living an incredible life. Don’t we all? But really. Making a difference, changing the world, accomplishing amazing things, doing big things for the glory of God with the little amount of time we have on this earth. That’s a life well lived.
Let’s be real though, life can be scary at times, and those big, crazy dreams, well they can end up looking really big and really crazy. Life loves to tell us that we are too weak, insignificant, poor, uneducated, and a whole plethora of other lies in order to discourage us from running after these dreams. There is common sense, but there is also her very close cousin, fear. The devil will try and tell you lies upon lies about how impossible your dream is, until you feel disheartened, broken, confused, alone and weary.
There is nothing wrong with dreaming big dreams and asking God for big things. Our God is so big He can do all that, yet He cares about you and I enough to actually care that those things mean a lot to us.
“For I know the thoughts that I think towards you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a FUTURE and a HOPE. Then you will call upon Me and go pray to Me, and I WILL LISTEN TO YOU. And you will seek Me and find Me when you search for me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:11-13
I want to live a life of significance. Not for my names sake, but for the sake of the Gospel. From dust I came and from dust I shall return (Ecc 3:20), but the ripple effect of impact on others, now that’s worth doing big things.
“What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments, but what is woven into the lives of others.” – Pericles
Why waste precious time not focusing on others and furthering the Gospel of Christ? Why continue to dream small dreams or worse, dream them and let them die! I don't believe we honor God by praying small prayers with little faith. He is honored when we ask big things and allow Him to use us to see those things come to fruition.
What makes your heart and spirit come alive? If there were no boundaries to your resources, what would you ask God to do in your life and through you? I’m not talking selfish; I want a nice house and a nice car, and throw in a 401k while you’re at it dream, but a dream that makes God’s heart happy and makes yours come alive! You want to rescue trafficked women and children? Go for it! You want to impact an entire community by helping supply medical care, food, and clean water? Do it up! Why not??
“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” – Mark Twain
Dreams generally speaking don’t just happen on their own, they require work. If God has placed in your heart desires and dreams, it’s up to you to take action with them. He will never leave you or forsake you (Deut 31:6), but you have to be brave enough to step out and work towards those goals!
“Sometimes all you need is 20 seconds of insane courage. Just 20 seconds of embarrassing bravery.” – We Bought A Zoo
Sometimes it’s going to be hard, God didn’t promise us that life would be easy, very much so not actually. Sometimes we look dumb and sometimes we just fall right on our faces, but God knows our hearts and continues to lead us!
Tomorrow is not promised for you or I. We never signed an agreement with God saying we are going to live to be 95. It took me actually realizing this to really turn my life over to Christ. I knew all the stuff about Him, but for my heart to change and for me to surrender my will; it took a revelation of how frail life is and just how short it can be. If I didn’t surrender my life to Him and accept Christ as my Lord and Savior when I did, there was no guarantee that I would be on this earth long enough to get the chance to. I have never regretted making the decision to turn my life over to Christ and live fully for Him. I suck at it at times, probably more than I care to acknowledge, but God knows my heart and how I deeply long to please Him with the way I live my life. How else could I possibly thank Him for saving mine, then to live a life that points others to Him and honors Him in the way it’s lived?
So do it, chase those dreams that keep you up at night thinking about over and over. The ones that really make a positive difference in the world and in your life. The ones that honor and glorify God. DO BIG THINGS!
Caution: Do not allow chasing your dreams to disqualify where God has you now and what He has called you to do where you are. Be careful to not be so focused on getting to these goals that you don’t cultivate a deep relationship with Him now, or share the Gospel where you are now, or mentor someone now, etc. Be motivated to dive 110% in to where He is calling you to, but don’t lose sight of the significance of where you are now.
Be Blessed!
