During the summer of 2009 God taught me about dreams. He used a very dear friend to challenge me to write down 100 dreams. They could be anything – no limitations, just 100 dreams for my life, my future, for adventure, my faith…anything!
At 21 years old, I could come up with about 11.
That was a problem.
I realized that I had let the world tell me how to dream, or rather, how to worry and not dream, and I had forgotten that my God moves and works beyond my wildest dreams.
That summer, God took me on a journey of dreams. As He awakened me to the dreams He had instilled inside me, God also allowed me to share in His dream for His children. He asked me to challenge the coaches I was working with and staffs I was directing to dream big, God sized dreams.
I began keeping a dream journal. In it I wrote crazy things like:
- backpack around the world for a year
- hike the Great Wall of China
- cage dive with great white sharks
- encounter situations where I must rely on Jesus alone
- trust the Holy Spirit more
- hear the voice of God
Ha.
As a college student sitting on a hotel room floor back in 2009, these dreams seemed impossible. Distant. Laughable, even. But God began stirring in my heart, He began unearthing passions that were buried deep beneath layers of pride and fear, just waiting to bust out.
And now here I sit, in the middle of nowhere Swaziland, in my 5th month of a year of living out of a backpack while traveling the world with 41 brothers and sisters. I’ve hiked the Great Wall and dove with the sharks, and let me tell you I’ve never had to rely on Jesus more then when we were running through a Chinese train station, lost and literally seconds away from missing our train.
With a little over a week left on this continent and a month in Romania (oh yeah, p.s. there’s been a route change – this whole trip is full of surprises!) in the very near future, I’ve taken some time to reflect on those dreams that once seemed so out of reach.
I didn’t go looking for a trip around the world, but God knows my heart better than I ever could.
I didn’t even know what I meant when I dreamt that I wanted to trust the Spirit more, but I find myself relying on His wisdom in the 108,567,683 decisions I make each day.
I didn’t even think it was possible to hear the voice of God, but now I find myself confidently speaking out the words I hear from Him and breathing life out over His people.
I love that my Z family has caught the vision of dreaming God sized dreams. I am honored to be a part of a body that is passionate about the heartbeat of the Father.
So I challenge you. Grab a journal and get alone with God.
Write down 100 dreams.
It may seem daunting at first, but dream BIG! Dream outside the context of time, money, your job, and what you think is possible. Ask God to stir up passions in your heart for your family, your career, your relationships, for adventure, for your walk with Him. Open your heart and your mind. See where He takes you – I promise you won’t regret it!
And then, share your dreams. Share them with someone who knows you. You can even share them here! But speak them out. Pray over them. Let God breathe life back in to your tired spirit, let your dreams be the driving force behind your decisions.
Let it be said of us, “Here comes those dreamers!” [Gen 37:19]
DREAM BIG.
With our blind friend, Zolah. SO PRECIOUS.
Team Sound market day!
with new friends at Swazi church
