Transformational Tip
“If your dreams don’t scare you, then you aren’t really dreaming.” This really impacted me when I first heard it as a young teenager in the mid 70’s. I was a planner and a plodder, had some potential for a bright future, but always liked to have a game plan. For me to just wing it was a bit difficult at times, but I often admired when my friends weren’t so regimented like me.
As I have grown with God, I realized God has an incredible plan for me that is truly unique and beyond my wildest dreams. Combining how God has gifted me, what He gave me a passion for, the experiences He’s brought into my life, the education He gave me opportunity to receive, the supports, people, and resources He has positioned in my life produces a blend that is totally different than any one else’s. So His plan for me is unique….never happened to anyone before. He wants more for me than I do and has THE perfect role for me.
I need to be able to dream and visualize something that there is no direct precedence and that should scare me a bit, make me nervous, and stretch me. If my dreams don’t scare me, then I’m not really dreaming…I am just planning. The downside in planning is I put me in a box and limit me…..but, worse than that is putting the Holy Spirit and God in a box(like keeping the genie in the lamp) and limiting the amazing plans He has for me, because of my lack of vision, readiness, and lack of trust and openness to His plan instead of mine. The biggest loss is the realization that my relationship with God isn’t close enough so my understanding of His direction for me is not clear enough to dream what God’s perfect and all-powerful will might have for me.
After seeing the Easter miracle and the roles He had for His disciples, don’t be afraid to really “dream”…. envision how God has prepared you to grow in Him and then be a Lighthouse to the world. It really is OK to be scared or nervous of what you imagine He has for you…..you’re probably getting closer to the role He really does have planned to bless you with. Now it’s up to you to embrace it and live that life!
Prayer
Dear Perfect Father, thank you so much for all you have brought into my life to get me to this point. I know as the all powerful author of THE story, you have a specific, unique, and perfect role for me to glorify you and impact your kingdom. Give me eyes that see your plan, and a mind that can stretch to be open to your ways and path. Bring me peace when I need to throw away my will and transform me to your ways. Thanks for making us with creativity and imagination and help me use it to fantasize about Spirit driven activities and possibilities and not for sinful fantasies. Lord help those that only plan and don’t dream. Show them your power and might so they can take you out of the box and see the life you have then live the life you want for us.
In Jesus’ name, AMEN.
The Truth
Now the LORD said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you.
And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.
Gen 12:1-2
But David said to Saul, “Your servant used to keep sheep for his father. And when there came a lion, or a bear, and took a lamb from the flock.
I went after him and struck him and delivered it out of his mouth. And if he arose against me, I caught him by his beard and struck him and killed him.
Your servant has struck down both lions and bears, and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them, for he has defied the armies of the living God.”
And David said, “The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.”
1 Sam 17:34-37
And he was seeking to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was small of stature.
So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was about to pass that way.
And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.”
So he hurried and came down and received him joyfully.
And when they saw it, they all grumbled, “He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.”
And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.”
And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham.
For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
Luke 19:3-10