Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Day 212 - Finding Our True Dream

Maybe it’s just being back at work and into the “normal” routine of life after being in Virginia last week, but tonight I have a case of the “blahs”. Nothing is wrong, I feel OK. Maybe it has to do with the diet I started on Monday. I’ll see if I can last more than a week. For the past month I think that I have started 3 diets, none of which lasted five days. That’s probably it. I made a vegetable drink with my Vita Mix tonight. While it filled me up, it really wasn’t something to enjoy. Well, whatever it is, I just didn’t feel like continuing last night’s history. I’ll pick it up tomorrow or sometime soon.

I was talking with one of my daughters today about dreams. My problem is that until the last few years, I have always been too pragmatic. I guess that when I was young, I couldn’t really dream, otherwise I would have been in Viet Nam in the army. My dreams were always bounded by certain parameters. In truth, most dreams are bounded by certain parameters. But what if there were no boundaries, nothing that would hold us back? Well that is not quite possible either. I could dream to be a worked famous artist, and that would never happen because I don’t have the talent level. A friend talked about dreams in her devotional. I didn’t see it today, but I think she was talking about how much bigger God’s dreams for us are than our own dreams for us. So if His dreams for me are bigger and better than I can dream, what I need to do is to seek out His dreams for me. Not only are they big, but also with His power behind them, they are possible. His dreams for me are the dreams without boundaries.

So, how do we find out His dreams for us? I believe it first requires a deep level of intimacy with Him. If we are to cultivate anything it should be a deeper knowledge and love of Him. That comes through worship and meditation in His word. Secondly, we need to begin to see ourselves as He sees us. We will never be able to walk into the dreams He has for us if we don’t know who we are. We are fearfully and wonderfully made. He lives within us and we can do ALL things through Him. Yes these are fine scriptures, but they are much more. They are words to live by. We have to believe that we can before we will do. So we have to do both of these things to begin to understand what He wants to see us do. Our destiny is tied up in the dreams that He has for us. I think that for most of my life I have been going after my dreams. Well that’s being kind. Most of my life has really been just about living and getting by. It’s been about providing for my family and raising my children. Not there is anything wrong with that. I know that a part of His dream for me is to see me do that. So many times we don’t realize what a difference we are making in just living. Dreams don’t have to be “grand” to be big. I look at Julia’s life. Her dreams weren’t “grand” in the world’s eyes, but they were big in God’s eyes. You see, she did the first two steps. She knew Him and she knew who she was in Him. Her dreams were so simple yet powerful. She dreamed of a family that was healed and whole, of grandchildren who loved each other and loved their God. She dreamed of the Kingdom of God coming down into people’s lives and changing things. She dreamed of praying and interceding until change came. She dreamed that she could make a difference in the lived of others every day, and she did. No her dreams weren’t “grand”, but they were big, and she got to see many of them fulfilled.

So I continue to press into the dream God has for me now. It is big, and the third step that we must take is to be willing to risk. I have always been a risk taker. That has been a good thing and a bad thing in my life. But this is not taking risk just to take risk. It’s being willing to step out when you finally know that’s what you have to do. You know it because you have connected in the first two steps. I pray that my daughters and granddaughters will always be willing to take risks once they have heard God. You can have plenty of dreams, but the one dream is what you need. His dream is something you can wrap your life around. The other dreams are like wisps of smoke. When you think you catch them, they just disappear and leave you feeling empty. So I want to give myself to the BIG dreams of God. They are something that I can invest my life in. The grand things of man will pass away. Who is to say what makes a difference in the earth? The only real difference is if His Kingdom comes. You can bring the Kingdom with you no matter what you are doing. Whether you are a pilot, a nurse, a housewife, or a banker. We all have our on sphere of influence; we all have a ministry.

So in closing tonight I guess the bottom line is this. First, make it a priority to spend time in worship and meditation with Him. Get to know Him more than you ever thought possible. Second, realize who you are in Christ. Realize that you are a King or a Queen and that through Him you can do all things. Then seek his heart and allow His heart to blend into your heart. In doing this, you will begin to sense a path, a direction. Finally, once you sense your path, be willing to risk everything to go after it. Don’t worry if your path seems mundane or if it seems adventurous. It’s your path and upon it lies your dream and your destiny.

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