Dare to Dream

I pinned this prayer in my first semester of seminary. The Lord was using the courses I was taking to open up the Bible to me like never before. Stories that I thought I knew by heart were coming alive with new and exciting insights that I somehow had glossed over in all of my bible studies and church services growing up. I was beginning to realize that God is much bigger than I can ever or will ever comprehend and my response was to say “Pick me! I’ll follow you anywhere!”

It is interesting to me though, that I wrote the phrase “open my mind.” Because in all honesty, at the same time that I pinned this prayer, I was dreaming about all of the ways I expected God to answer it.

I dreamed of traveling the world, teaching all of the new wisdoms God had given me to anyone and everyone that would listen.

I dreamed of going home and building up the community I had been a part of all of my life.

I dreamed of writing books and bringing to life the resources that were entrusted to me.

After graduating seminary, God did not bring any of the above dreams to fruition for me. I applied to multiple jobs in ministry: a Bible teacher, a girls director for multiple student ministries both in Texas and places around home. I faced rejections in every field and when faced with one final yes from a school in Georgia, felt unrest and declined their offer. Four months after graduation, I finally got a job offer in a role that I would never have placed myself in nor felt any way qualified for. I now work in the Creative Arts Department at the church I interned with for the past two years, majorly answering emails and equipping others to do ministry. The Lord new far better than me that to continue following the path he had planned, I would need an open mind and a heart that truly was willing to follow Him anywhere.

In all of this, I have learned that our dreams hardly ever get granted as smoothly as we planned or in the time-frame that we want. While this is a tough pill for me to swallow, God is showing me that the time spent outside of our dreams is of equal value to the dream itself. While I always pictured I would hate a job where I answered emails and worked to organize and plan out events/projects, I have found that these things actually bring me a lot of life and that the behind the scenes role is one of the most meaningful jobs we can have. Answering emails, organizing events, taking care of my home, getting coffee with a friend…these things don’t look very dreamy. But they are the steps God has given me for today. Who am I to say these days are not purposeful, simply because they did not meet MY expectation?

So, my advice to the fellow dreamer who just started 2023 either in the same spot they were last year or in a place far outside of their dreams…keep praying the prayers the Holy Spirit has given you and keep taking steps towards the God-sized dream in your heart, but never de-value the place God has planted you in. You do not know what it will take to make your dream come about, but God does. That is why He uniquely gave it to you! While you may be stuck on a path that is far from special, he may be building the characteristics, resources, and tools to take you and your dream further than you ever thought possible.

So here is my improved prayer for this New Year from Proverbs 16:3:

“Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans.”

My dreams are fun and exciting to think about, but ultimately, they are worthless if I don’t commit them to God. This means having an open mind to how He will shape and establish them…even if his way goes far off the pages of my road map. So, if you are up for and adventure with me, I dare you to dream today and I dare you to commit those dreams to the only one that can establish them for us. I can’t wait to see the path he has laid out for us this New Year.