photo credit emily @ chattingatthesky
God-sized Dream = A desire in your heart for more of what God has for you.
We’re opening the door to God-sized dreams in 2013. So every week we get together to encourage each other {because don’t we all need it? yes, ma’am.}. This week Emily Freeman is here to share about God-sized dreams with you…
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I went through a phase where I thought “God-sized” meant “big.” I thought if I wasn’t “dreaming big” then maybe I didn’t have enough faith. Maybe sometimes I still live as though I think that.
One thing is that God-sized has nothing to do with size. Maybe another way to think of it is God-shaped. — Emily Freeman, Today’s Guest Poster
I read this quote by Ruth Haley Barton and I had to carry it in my hands for a while before I was able to apply it to my own life.
“God’s will for us is generally for us to pursue that which gives us life and to turn away from things that drain life from us and leave us debilitated.” – Sacred Rhythms
If you take her quote simply for what it is, a lot of questions come up. But in the context of what she is saying is that she is learning the importance of paying attention in her daily life to those moments and situations that feel life-giving and those that feel life-draining. Maybe we could trade out her words “God’s will” with “God’s dream.”
Takes on a bit of a new meaning that way.
And so a God-sized dream, to me, is learning to pay attention to the life-giving and the life-draining. As I move toward the life-giving in those situations where I have a choice, I will be uncovering the outlines of the dream God has for me; the dream I have for myself.
If God lives in me, then the question becomes what is the shape he has given to me? And if I don’t know, maybe his dream for me is to be willing to find out.
I don’t believe this is one thing in particular, one spectacular accomplishment that you can point to and display. Living into my God-sized dream has less to do with a result and more to do with a process.
Do I really believe that God lives within me and am I completely convinced that he wants to come out?
Not only that, do I see the significance my unique design plays in the greater story he is telling?
God-sized dreaming to me means living with design in mind, paying attention to who God is and who he has made me to be. Receiving my completeness from him is, I believe, his greatest dream for me. And as I do that, I trust he will spin me back out to the world in whatever ways will bless others and bring him glory.
Emily Freeman is a writer who encourages girls of all ages to create space for their souls to breathe. She is the author of two books: Grace for the Good Girl and Graceful. She and her husband live in North Carolina with their twin daughters and twinless son.
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Now it’s your turn!
Link-up your blog post sharing what brings you joy, especially when it comes to your God-sized dream and link it up. {If you don’t have a blog, you can share in the comments.}
So we can all find each other, please include this God-sized Dreams button in your post. Also, love on your fellow God-sized dreamin’ sisters by leaving a comment on the post before yours.
“What you’re doing isn’t small if it’s what God has for you. It’s big. And it just may lead to something even bigger. Make the most of where you are right now. Give everything you have. God has so much in store for you. And He has so much for you right here too.” — You’re Made for a God-sized Dream, Chapter 3
For next week: What’s a typical day in your life like right now? How can you see God’s hand in the middle of the “small” and ordinary too?
Looking for a small step to take? Start with The “Do What You Can” Plan: 21 Days to Making Any Area of Your Life Better
