Dreams: Know Your Destination

Don’t you love this verse? And the image Beth Vogt put with it is perfect. Sometimes as we chase our dreams, we’ll be in a season where we wonder if this deep longing of our heart can be fulfilled. It can. Just hang in there and keep praying.

Ask God to confirm that it’s the right dream.

I have a dream of speaking. I want to share truths that resonate in the hearts of women and free them to chase the call God has on their lives. It’s a deep desire of my heart. And there have been times that I have asked God if this is from Him? I’ve asked Him if I’m chasing something that isn’t His will for me. Or not His will at this season.

Have you ever been there? Wanting something so deeply, but then backing away? Wondering if it’s you rising up with a desire that has nothing to do with God’s best for you?

Each time God has given me confirmations. Speaking at two women’s retreats in different states a couple weeks a part. Now He seems to be opening that in a slightly different, very unexpected direction. Hopefully, I’ll be able to share more in a couple weeks.

Okay, back to the book. A longing fulfilled is a tree of life. So what’s your longing? What’s that dream that cries to be brought to life?

Without being able to answer that, you can’t take the steps Holley recommends in chapter four. You can start with a LIFE statement. Or just write down the dream. Then you know your destination. Now you can aim for it. Do you need to read a few books? Go back to school? Change your job? You won’t know until you know where you’re headed.

Then start thinking about how you get to that destination. What are the related tasks that lead to the overall goal? Break it down into tasks or steps. Be specific. What will you do? When will you do it? How can you know that task is done? If you aren’t specific, it is very easy to never do it.

When I wanted to write a book, I gave myself two years to get a contract. If you know writing, that is insane! Most people write 7-10 years. 18 months later I had a contract. God had so much to do with it, but because I had a deadline, I had my bottom in the chair writing — a lot. I cut out TV and other things because I decided this was the time to push on the dream and I had tasks to get it done. I also went to ACFW for the first time with my husband’s blessing because I didn’t know Christian fiction and Colleen Coble told me that’s where I’d learn. So we invested in the conference. It was worth every penny.

So what do you take with you? Then DON’T QUIT…not matter what. Push through the exhaustion, the doubts, the fears. Just do it. Keep working. Don’t stop too early.

Keep your dream before you and don’t forget to celebrate the incremental victories. Take time to remember what God has done for you!

Okay, so I’ve shared a bit of my story. If you’ve chased a dream, what did you have to give up to do it? How did you push through when you got tired, afraid, full of doubts? How do you celebrate the incremental successes?

If you’re preparing to chase a dream, have you written it down yet? Are you specific? Can you break it into related tasks?