Daring to Dream

    I had an unexpected snow day recently and I don't know about YOU, but few things excite me more than a snow day off from work! I do some of my best thinking on snow days! I think I have previously shared that I am naturally an introverted-thinker type personality. I typically come across as a very emotive extrovert, but I am in my element when I have space to ponder and muse.  To be 100% honest, I have playlists entitled "thinking" just to have background music as I am processing. For me, quiet snow days are the PERFECT way to spend a day thinking and reflecting.

    As with most people who tend to lean more on the internal processing side, I have a very big thinking world. Being an internal processor means I tend to take a little more time to reflect before I jump into commitments OR state my opinion. I want to think and think about what I really believe. One way I sometimes help myself process or get to an answer is to ask myself questions. It might seem simple, but I have found self-reflection questions to be really useful as a tool in making decisions. 

    Lately, I have been thinking about questions pertaining to 'goals'. Now, hear me clearly when I say that I am NOT typically a big picture person. I tend to be more practical and "here and now", as opposed to the "could-be"s of tomorrow. But lately, I have been thinking about my own future goals. What do I want to aim for with my future? What do I want to do next, now that school is finished? As I was reflecting, one thing I kept finding myself bumping up against is how much fear I have with planning for the future. I keep finding myself stopping short of BIG goals because I am afraid of failure. I am afraid to make mistakes and afraid of disappointment. I can sometimes refrain from even praying about big things because of fear.

    Truthfully, I hate that. I do not want to live my life dictated or marked by fear of the unknowns. I want to live a life brimming with courage and trust in my Creator. 

    God has created passions, desires, hope, dreams, and visions in each one of us. Obviously, as believers, we want to walk in obedience to Him and follow His leading in these area. I want to walk in a manner worthy of the calling (as a believer in Jesus) that I have received (Eph. 4:1). With that belief, I also think it is important to pay attention to where God has placed us and what He has equipped us with. What are the things He has set before you? Where are the places you feel called?

    If He created us with these talents or hopes, why NOT explore them? What if He is giving opportunity for you to glorify His name and expand His kingdom even more? Why NOT prayerfully pursue the things that “scare” us to see if it’s something He *would* have us do? As I have been considering my own life (and convicted in my fearful response), why NOT expect Him to show up in the big ways as well as the small? Why NOT trust Him to guide us in these areas? 😊 He shows up in the unexpected places. So let’s look for where He is calling us to—outside the boundaries set by fear and timidity. 

So. With these things in mind, here are a few of the questions I have personally been pondering. 

• If you could do something, without fear of failure, what would you do? 

• What would you want to create or a goal you want to work towards that may seem “impossible" without God's help? 

• What is the fear that is holding you back from trying? 

• What is an area of your life that you want to see mature and grow? (Physically, emotionally, spiritually, mentally, etc.)

• What is something you feel afraid to ask God about because it seems so BIG?

Trust Him with your future. Trust Him with your heart, with your hopes, with your dreams and with the BIG plans you have no idea if they could work out. Offer up your dreams to Him, letting Him shape them and use your desires as He will. Those who look to Him--those who HOPE in Him--will never be ashamed. Trust Him. He has more in store for you than you can even possibly imagine. <3