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 Wierenga is here to share about God-sized dreams with you…
I always thought God-sized dreams were big.
But I had forgotten that God could fit inside a manger.
I always wanted to be on TV, to be a news anchor, until my husband asked me why, and I realized it was because I wanted to be famous, because I’d never felt known or affirmed.
Funny how small you can feel when you realize your big dreams are just a disguise for low self-esteem.
My sister, a very talented pianist, was recently asked what her life-long dream was. Her response? “To be a housewife.” It has been her dream since she was a little girl. In my mind, that dream was small.
Until I became one.
Until I became a wife and a mother and a foster mother and I realized the power of a Proverbs 31 woman. The strength behind service. The incredible talents behind breathing life into men and children and keeping a home and there’s not a lot of recognition, besides a few peanut-butter and honey kisses. Besides sticky arms wrapped around your neck and your husband’s feet playing with yours under an afghan after the kids have gone to bed and if you’re lucky, a few minutes to yourself to do some of your hobbies like writing or painting.
There’s not a lot of pay, either, but the Bible tells us that the last shall be first, and he who becomes like a child, will be greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
So in God’s eyes, the humbler the role, the greater the reward, and this is hard for me to grasp. Especially in the face of books like Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg which tell women to grasp power by the reigns and take what is theirs and demand equal opportunity or better.
But in seeking first the kingdom of heaven; in telling our men we believe in them, in washing our children’s feet, in celebrating what the world tells us is a menial and unimportant job—keeping a home—we are in fact raising up future leaders and future generations.
We serve a God who came to earth as an infant, who chose a woman to bear him. We serve a God who rode into Jerusalem on the donkey—not a stallion. We serve a God who washed the feet of the very man who would betray him.
Because there is no size or status in the kingdom of heaven—there is only obedience. And the greatest reward will be these words: Well done, my good and faithful servant.
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I have written a book, along with Dr. Dena Cabrera, called Mom in the Mirror: Body Image, Beauty and Life After Pregnancy, which celebrates this very thing: our femininity, our strength as women, and how to learn to LOVE ourselves fully so we can, in turn, love our husbands and our children.
I’m excited to GIVE AWAY a hard-cover copy today so please leave a comment below on what you love about YOUR body and we will choose a random winner at the end of the week.
Otherwise, you can pick up your own copy of the book HERE, for 40% off.
(For the book trailer, endorsements and sample chapters, please visit the official book website HERE)
Emily Wierenga is an artist, blogger, journalist and the author of Chasing Silhouettes and Mom in the Mirror. For more information, please visit www.emilywierenga.com. You can also connect with her on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, LinkedIn or Etsy.
