Dream Big

Proverbs 16:9, “The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.”

A comedian, Jeff Allen, made this statement in his routine: “Dreams are the engine that will drive you through life, Prayer is the fuel that will drive these dreams, Trust me, when you stop dreaming, when you stop praying, you are going to dry up, bitter up and die long before your heart ever stops beating.”

I found this insanely profound. Dreams are the engine of life. They are the directions from the spirit that pushes us forward. Prayer is the fuel that gives us the tenacity to strive to achieve those dreams. Without prayer, without God’s intervention, we will, as Solomon put it, be chasing after the wind.

Ecclesiastes 1:14, “I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind.”

What are your dreams? What are the visions and passion God has put in your heart? Jeff Allen, in his routine, put this question to his kids; Dream big, if you could be with anyone you want, be anywhere you want, and doing anything you want, what would it be? The spiritual answer is setting at the feet of Christ for eternity; what is the worldly answer? God put us here for a purpose; what is your purpose?

If you could be with anyone you want, be anywhere you want, and doing anything you want, what would it be? Where your treasure is, there is your heart.

Matthew 6:21, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

In his book, Don’t Waste Your Life, John Piper said, “Desire that your life count for something great! Long for your life to have eternal significance. Want this! Don’t coast through life without a passion.” Most of us think that if our life could be good enough, it might just be good enough. We settle for being someone of note when we could be someone of significance. When we think of what we could be, we believe in terms of what we know. If we were ever to think of who God made us be, we would have to think in terms of faith.

Hebrews 11:1, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”

The author William Ward wrote a popular book, “If you can imagine it, you can achieve it.” He told his readers, “If you can dream it, you can become it.” That, my friends, is thinking small. God’s vision for your life is greater than your imagination. We cannot start to comprehend the complex and intricate ripples through generations of God’s plan.

“Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.” – Corrie Ten Boom.

Don’t fence in your dreams. Don’t limit what God can do through you by your perceptions. God speaks; you act. God directs; you go. One of the big regrets I hear from people my age is that they never chased their passion. The other big regret, by the way, is not that they let an opportunity slip away, but they let a chance to mend a relationship slip away. Regret is not about material things but relationships. God’s plan for you is about people, not things. God will not fill that passion-shaped hole in your heart with things; God will fill it with memories of people and relationships. Things are just tools.

Ecclesiastes 9:10, “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might, for there is no work or thought or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol, to which you are going.”

The material resources and the physical locations God uses to achieve your dream are His props. They are the tools God has given you to fulfill His purpose in your life. Your passion shouldn’t be to write a book or build a company. It should be to use those endeavors to impact lives for Christ. A mission trip to a third-world country isn’t about the third-world country; it is about the people that live there. Going anyplace God sends you is about getting in front of the people who need you.

“God will meet you where you are in order to take you where He wants you to go.” – Tony Evans.

One cautionary note to dreaming big; before you can drink cool water from the well, you have to dig a deep hole. God’s plan for you isn’t a walk in the park. There will always be times when you are not sure. There will be times when you want to quit. To achieve God’s dream for yourself, you have to work hard. Sorry, that’s life. Hard work is the invisible hand that creates success.

That is why prayer is the fuel. Prayer is the energy you need to keep pushing forward. I have always found that when I am at my most discouraged, a nice long talk with God builds me back up. He reminds me that I am made in His image to achieve His will, and nothing can stop Him.  

Dream big, work hard, love long.

Romans 14:17-18, “for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. For he who in this way serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men.”