Awhile back I was talking to a woman at my church who I look up to, and has blessed me with her friendship. I was telling her that I really didn’t know what I was meant to do with my life. I kept coming up with ideas of things I would like to do or places I would like to move, but nothing ever panned out.
Then she said, “Emma, I have a great book for you to read! It’s called ‘You’re Made for a God-Sized Dream’ and it’s specifically directed toward women.” (Or something like that!)
A couple weeks later I got the book from her. I was excited about the idea of the book, but I haven’t been an avid reader since my early high school days – so it sat around for awhile. I would see it every now and again and think to myself…”I really need to read this book, I don’t want her to ask me about it and I haven’t even started it!” So thus, I read the first chapter.
Rewinding for a second – My friend had already told me about The World Race and I had looked into it. So, I was in the praying and pondering stage.
…I read the first chapter…Titled The “More” You’re Made For, and it spoke to exactly how I was feeling! She said that everyone has God-Sized dreams, and everyone’s dreams look different. It could be to move across the world and care for orphans or it could be to stay at home and raise your children into strong men and women.
Whether it be extreme or fairly ordinary – they matter equally.
“It’s not about what you do as much as how you do it. It’s about pursuing life with passion and purpose and going with God wherever He leads.”
As I continued to read through the book, every chapter spoke to another part of how I was feeling. My heart. My fears. My worth. My desires. My excitement. She really understood what a God-Sized dream looked like, and helped me to understand.
I know that The World Race is one of my God-Sized dreams. I know because God has put the desire in my heart. I know He wants to use me to reach the people in these faraway places. Even though my fear of being unqualified arises more and more often, I have to remind myself that God doesn’t call the qualified, He qualifies the called!
God used many people in the Bible who seemed unqualified for the job: Isaac was a day dreamer, Jacob was a cheater, Peter had a temper and denied Christ, David had an affair and tried to cover it up with murder, Noah got drunk, Elisha was suicidal, Jonah ran from God…
So I know God will qualify me to live out my God-Sized dream.
One huge thing that I have been coming to terms with is that not everyone will be excited about my dream. I can’t take it personally when other people aren’t as interested or supportive as I’d like them to be. No one can love my dream the way I do. Sure, people who love me will try and they will be there for me and they will have good intentions… But at the end of the day, it’s unrealistic to expect them to be as excited about this dream as I am.
Philippians 2:13 ESV
“…for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.”
