Blog

The Earth has orbited the sun more than 58 times during my lifetime. Therefore, it’s reasonable to say that I’ve lived for more than just a few minutes. Every day, I wake with renewed wonder that I can live the dream.

Maybe this comes with age and experience, of which I now possess a bit of both. How much age and experience? It’s certainly enough to get me into trouble. I have had my fair share of that.

As I write this, a new season has dawned for my husband and me. We are preparing to plant another church. For a while, I felt that our days of planting a church from scratch might be over. However, slowly, over several months, if not a year or more, the familiar gnawing desire to witness a church come from nothing has been consuming my soul.

Now, for the first time in longer than I can remember, I feel anticipation for the days ahead. I get to live the dream again!

Faith to live the dream

Anyone who has worked for any length of time in a specific field engages more with the discipline of pursuing a dream than the joy of achieving it. The discipline of reaching for something is the definition of faith made real. Faith is not only something that dwells in our hearts; faith is something that we do; it is what we live by – it’s what gives us our very breath (see Romans 1:17).

Moving from that discipline of faith to enjoying what we are working for by faith before we see its fulfillment is where we will find longevity in whatever God has called us to do. Those moments when we see with our physical eyes the fulfillment of what God has promised us to have, at least in my own life, have taken time to come to pass. If we wait to rejoice until we have seen what has been promised to us with our eyes, seasons of drought could very well push us to give up on the dream.

Thinking of giving up on your dream?

Have you ever come to the point where you’re thinking of giving up on your dream? I have, and it isn’t at all pleasant. I often find myself in those places when I’m disappointed that things didn’t turn out how I thought they would.

Had I known it would turn out this way…

I wasn’t expecting this much resistance…

 No one understands or cares about what I had to give up …

Slowly but surely, the temptation to give up creeps in. It’s fire fueled by my own self-pity, takes a seat at the forefront of my thoughts. I will eventually reach a crossroads and must decide whether the dream is worth pursuing. Will I fan the flames of despair in my dry desert or embrace the fire of God’s gift, His dream, to me? The former is, at first, much easier to do, but it ultimately leads to more regret.

What would have happened if I hadn’t given up?

What would have happened if I had chosen to stay?

And, what would have happened if I had given the dream one more chance?

Entrusted with dreams

After some time and experience, I’ve learned that it’s not enough to merely tolerate pursuing the dream. The dream must be cherished, protected, and enjoyed! Hidden in the discipline of obedience is the deepest joy that life has to offer: a satisfaction that transcends the simple emotion of happiness when a goal is achieved.

God has entrusted us with our dreams, and we have the responsibility and honor of striving for their fulfillment. Their success or failure depends not on our abilities but on His ability within us.

But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.

2 Corinthians 4:7 NKJV

Live the dream for His glory

The dream isn’t given for our own glory or acclaim. It’s for God’s glory and acclaim, and He can make it come true. Whether or not any of us are recognized on this earth for what we have done for the Kingdom is irrelevant. We’re reaching for the prize that has heaven as our home, and what more could we ask for?

The dream is also a treasure that God has entrusted to us. Whatever your treasure may be, cherish it! Fan the flames of your dream (see 2 Timothy 1:6) and watch your passion for the treasure it represents grow. Don’t let the work involved in pursuing the dream and the disappointments you encounter blur its image into a mere shadow of what it once was.

I’ve been guilty of giving up, feeling sorry for myself, and wanting to give up on the dream – more times than I care to remember! Each time I’ve thrown in the towel and called it a day, the dream calls me back, for I know there’s nothing else to do but live the dream. This means living with no regrets!