“Where there is no vision, the people perish…” Proverbs 29:18 (KJV)
Everyday this week while driving to work and back, I’ve been listening to a Joyce Meyer teaching on dreams and pursuing the projects both huge and tiny that God has called you to. The teaching is so jam-packed full of wisdom that I plan to listen to it again during my commutes this week. Near the beginning, Joyce says we are not meant to remain stagnant–static–in our lives, but we were created to always be growing, changing, moving onto the next thing, reaching for the next goal, pursuing the hope and vision for the future that God has put within us. YES!–we were made for more than the drudgery of daily existence.
When God has planted a dream, a hope for the future, in your heart, pursuing it will become your joy. It will become necessary to you. “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a dream fulfilled is a tree of life.” Proverbs 13:12 (New Living Translation) Whether your dream is to start a business, publish a book, become a parent, grow your ministry, run a marathon, move onto the mission field, etc. the pursuit–and eventual fulfillment–of that goal will be a tree of life to your soul.
So, what if you don’t know what your dream is? I feel like I sleepwalked through most of my twenties, with no vision or goal in mind. It’s like when you drive a route you’re super familiar with so you’re on auto-pilot, and when you arrive at your destination you kind of wonder “wow, how did I even get here?” I woke up and I was 29. I realized that for seven years, since graduating college and getting married, all I’d done was exist–work, eat, watch tv, go to church, occasionally travel. BLAH. I was over it. I wanted more. But what?
I did some praying and seeking. I broke my routine; instead of spending hours upon hours watching tv like I’d always done, I began to spend more time reading. I started running. I spent more time pursuing the things that bring me pleasure, like photography (ahhh so much to learn!), cooking, writing, and creating things. I filled my house with mason jars and teapots full of flowers because they’re pretty and make me happy. I let worship music echo throughout my house as I wrote and created crafty things. To get a new dream, you have to shake things up a bit. Break your routine. Let yourself be inspired again. If you have always loved to draw, but haven’t done much of it the past several years, then draw! If you used to like taking photos, get the camera out. If you like to write, to cook, to make things, then dedicate some time to pursuing those things and grow your skills. If you love building relationships and taking care of people, start inviting people over for meals. Befriend lonely people and hang out with them. Mentor a kid. Find out what you love to do, and become the best you can be at that thing. You were created to enjoy the things you enjoy, to be good at the things you’re good at, for a purpose. God can use any skill, any hobby, anything that delights your heart, and birth it into a dream that will shape your future–and the future of others, as well.
Let go of the past–of failures, disappointments, of the BLAH–and shake things up.
What dream has God put inside you that will change everything?
“Do not remember the things that have happened before. Do not think about the things of the past. See, I will do a new thing. It will begin happening now.” Proverbs 43:18-19 (New Life Version)
