For all of you dreamers..

I got to go to a women’s Christian conference this morning, and as cheesy as it sounds, my soul is SO refreshed.  Sometimes the big hoopla of a conference can be overwhelming and draining, but to be together with a group of women that are desperate for God to show up is wonderful, because in that desperation GOD SHOWS UP!  This is a side note to the topic for today, but if you get the chance to get together with other believers, GO! Satan is always trying to give us some reason to avoid being together with anyone who is going to encourage us towards Jesus. So give up all the excuses and just GO!

Now,  For all of you long term dreamers…

I am a dreamer. I have some big dreams for long term, some dreams for the next year and some dreams that I am not sure when they will happen, but they are dreams.  Jesus calls us to abundant living and part of living abundantly is asking God to put God sized dreams inside of us. To lead you to things that only He could imagine.

The thing I struggle with the most about dreaming is the patience to get there. I want to go from A to Z in a matter of days. But one of the things that God has really been engraving in my heart is that the day-to-day obedience over a long period of time is what he is looking for. A daily obedience in one direction over a long period of time will eventually reach your goal.

The truth is God is not as interested in the final goal as he is the transformation that happens in us along the way.  It is incredibly difficult to stay motivated over the long haul but here are a few things that I have found to help me.

·      Pray for endurance and a committed heart.

·      Invite your friends into the process. Ask them to pray for you, cheer for you, and hold you accountable in these goals. If you don’t have friends like that: Ask God to bring them into your life!

·      Take time ever season to dream of what God might want for your life. I try to do this four times a year.

·      START! The hardest part of starting something new is just starting it!

·      Make a list of 9-10 things that you have to do every day. Do the one you are least excited about first. Don’t go to bed until you have completed all of your tasks. (For example: I have 6 things I have to do for Young Life, 1 thing for Mary Kay, and 2-3 personal things a day) This helps staying focused on the daily tasks.

·      Make deadlines and reward yourself for reaching your deadlines.

The most important thing is to keep reminding yourself that a little bit of obedience every day over a long period of time will make a great impact! Maybe that is training for a race, starting a new hobby, investing in relationships… whatever it is that you are dreaming of, keep it in front of God and keep taking small daily steps.

As I am writing this, I am laughing because I am probably one of the most easily distracted people I know. I have failed in consistent obedience in SO many ways. But praise God that His mercy is new every day and today is always a good day to start new.

Lord, would you give us the ears to hear where you are leading us, and the perseverance to be obedient TODAY. Your word says that you only give us what we need for today so help us to stop worrying about what you have for us 10 years from now and help us to be obedient for what you have for us today!