God-Given Dreams

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future." Jeremiah 29 v 11

I recently had the privilege of going away with my church family.  It's amazing how a simple change of scenery can make such a difference.  People who I have never seen share on a Sunday morning (in my six years of being there anyway!) were bringing pictures and words from God.  It was truly fantastic.

But, I digress.  One of the threads which came through was about God bringing dead dreams alive.  A very fitting picture was described by one lady, that of an eagle rising from the ashes and soaring high.

This ties in so much what what I've been pondering on lately.  Towards the end of February I started thinking about lost dreams; plans and hopes for the future which haven't come to fruition.  Quite out of the blue really the main question I wondered over was "at what point do you draw a line under the dreams you had when you were younger and accept that they aren't going to happen?"  If I consider my practical situation, some of the vaster dreams I have will surely never be realised.  

Growing up in a church environment, attending youth groups etc I have often heard statements such as "God has put dreams and desires in your heart."  And I suppose I never really considered the possibility that these dreams might have to change and adapt.

So it was in light of these thoughts that I began to mentally strikeout some of the things I had always pictured myself doing.

With hindsight, I imagine this is the point where God face palmed and exclaimed "for crying out loud, have some patience!"

Patience: quiet, steady perseverance; even-tempered care; diligence.  Ability to suppress restlessness

Definitely not my strong suit here, I cannot claim to be gifted in any of the above!

Literally a week after having my 'realistic life shake up' (haha!) an opportunity landed in my lap which not only convinced me that God has a sense of humour but also was a sharp reminder of how we can so easily forget that God has a bigger picture and a perfectly timed plan for all of us.  This opportunity has the potential to fulfil all of the dreams I wrote off.  Every single one of them!  If that isn't a superb example of God's timing then I don't know what is.

Shortly after this, a very close friend emailed me an excerpt from the new Holley Gerth book which said:

"Hey you...the one looking for more purpose and listening for God's plan.  Here's what that restlessness is really all about: there's a God-sized dream knocking on the door of your heart."

What if those thoughts I'd been having had been brought to the surface by a sense of restlessness?  A preparation in my heart for what was heading my way so that I wouldn't dismiss it as 'impractical' or 'not for right now?'

Once again I am reminded that the best way to navigate our way through life is to trust in God and know that he will fulfil the hopes and desires he has planted in our hearts (yes, I really do believe there is truth in that!)

And whilst we may say "can't" "impossible" "impractical" "never", God says "with man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." Matt 19 v 26