I am one who does better when I have a clear dream that I’m working towards.  I wilt when I lose sight of something more. I think that’s true of all of us, though.  It’s easy to get caught up in the routines of life, the tasks at hand, all of the things that demand our time and attention in the here and now, and simply lose touch of the dreams we carry  on our hearts.

It takes a pretty high level of intentionality to stay in touch with those dreams and even more deliberate work to keep moving towards them.  There is probably no greater and more important work that I can do daily but to stay in touch with the dreams and visions that God has placed in my heart, carefully listening for next steps, and acting on what I know to do.

My daughter, who was 9 at the time, told me once to “Dream On, Mama!”  She meant it not in a cynical way, but in the purest sense. She’s wired a bit like me; she has big ideas and big dreams for her life.  This struck me as encouraging because not only did it affirm my sense of dreaming and believing for more, but it reminded me of how much those around us need us to keep dreaming.  Life itself can have a way of taking the wind out of our dreams.

If we’re not careful, we can unconsciously begin to opt for status quo and we can easily trade in our God-Given Dreams for the American Dream. Our families, friends, communities and the world need me, and you,  to be fully alive in our dreams and visions. Not only do we make a difference in the lives of others as we pursue our God given dreams, hopefully we are reflecting a piece of God’s heart to the world around us.

Today, may our souls awaken to not only the God given dreams on our hearts, but to the things that we haven’t yet dreamed of.