photo by walt stoneburner
I wrote these words on January 1, 2010, over three years ago…
*****
The start of a year is a lot like a new journal—pages waiting to be filled, endless possibilities. It’s a time for dreaming.
And yet the more months that go by, it seems the harder dreaming gets to do.
A friend of mine and I were talking about some challenges we’re facing and she said, “You know, I don’t think I’ll ever stop fighting…but I’m afraid I may stop dreaming.”
She’s not the only one.
That conversation reminded me that while dreaming comes naturally to children for grown-ups it’s a choice. And it’s not easy.
But it’s worth it.
Because with God, dreaming is different. It’s not pie-in-the-sky, pony-for-Christmas, be-a-princess-when-I-grow-up dreaming.
No, dreaming with Him is very much about reality.
All things are possible with God. Mark 10:27
I’m discovering that with God the hardest part is not making the dream a reality…it’s keeping my heart open enough to let it happen.
You know what I mean, don’t you? There are a thousand bricks in the walls that shut out our dreams…
I’m too busy.
I’ve been hurt before.
I could never do it.
We’ve put those bricks there for a reason—they protect us very well.
Dreaming is risky.
God can do the impossible but I’ve found He hardly ever does it in the way or time we want. And when things don’t go as we planned, well, it hurts.
(But you know what? Regret hurts more.)
And past the hurt of unmet expectations, there comes the joy of the dream becoming reality. We do make it to the Promised Land eventually. And there’s no better place to be than living in (or on the way to) the dream God has for you.
Better is one day in your courts than thousands elsewhere. Psalm 84:10
(I have a confession. I choked up several times while writing this post. Because this isn’t fluff for me—it’s where I am right now and some days it’s just hard. But it’s also an amazing adventure. And I still believe with all my heart God is going to come through for me…and He will for you too.)
I dare all of us to keep dreaming in this new year (this new decade!).
Because God is a dreamer. And even if we stop dreaming for ourselves, He never stops dreaming for us…
He can do “immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine.” Ephesians 3:20
*****
And on March 1, 2013 {over 3 years later} I’m writing to tell you that through blood, sweat, tears, typing and the grace of God the book that started with the post above is being born today.
Welcome to the world, Baby Girl.
I’m praying you make a beautiful, powerful difference in it…
You’re Made for a God-sized Dream: Opening the Door to All God has for You
Thanks for sharing this journey with me and opening your hearts and lives wide to her, friends.
Will you celebrate with me and help me spread the word that God is faithful and my Baby Girl is finally here?
