Now is the Time to Get Quiet, Trust and Dream

I’m reading a book by Sarah Beth Marr called Dreaming with God: A Bold Call to Step Out and Follow God’s Lead. It reminds me that sharing my hopes and desires with God brings me closer to him.

I’m a dreamer. I always have been. There’s nothing better than the moment your aspirations become a reality. Growing up, I loved fashion. From the time I was two years old, I was picking out my own clothes, and early on I told my mom I wanted to buy clothes for a living. At the age of 24, I became the youngest assistant buyer at the JCPenney headquarters in Plano, TX. When I was in high school, I joined the Italian club to learn Italian as a hobby (yes, I was always this nerdy) and envisioned myself living in and studying in Italy. I studied there during my junior year of college. My entire life I was a dancer, taking four to six classes a week. I was never the best or the most flexible, but I loved to dance and longed to become a dance teacher. Now, I teach Zumba fitness, a Latin dance fitness class. It brings me so much joy to accomplish the goals I set before myself.

One of the most life-changing dreams that God ever put on my heart was when he told me to leave my life in Texas and move to South Korea. Everyone said I was crazy. They didn’t know that God gave me that dream, but I knew. I had asked him for one. He laid all the pieces out like breadcrumbs, giving me one at a time until I had the whole picture. That really made my friends and family think I was crazy—that I couldn’t answer all their questions at the very beginning. I knew I was supposed to move to Korea before I knew what I was supposed to do there…before I knew where I was supposed to live, what my job would be, how I would get there, or what the purpose was. Little did I know that it would be one of the most beloved times of my life. Having now been to 40 countries, South Korea is still my favorite place in the world.

See, dreaming with God brings more joy than we can imagine.

God places things on our hearts to bring us joy, give us hope, and (I think) to see if we trust him. He gives us the opportunity to have faith, trust, and to lean on him. And he rewards us by fulfilling those visions that make our hearts the happiest. What is the most important part? Knowing the dream. He doesn’t shout it. He may not even say it. Maybe you just feel it or one day have an idea or inclination. But know, all those visions and wishes and ideas, he put them there. And if you trust him, pray over it, and confirm that it actually came from him…he will help you achieve it. He gave you that dream knowing how much it would delight you.

Maybe you’re thinking, “But I don’t have a dream…” Have you asked for one? Remember, you are part of a divine plan and purpose. There is an endless amount of opportunities. And you were created to fulfill one. Maybe you just haven’t pressed pause on your life or taken the time to be still and listen.

I’m very blessed to live on an island. I get up each morning, not long after sunrise, get my coffee, and sit by the water to read my devotions, my Bible, and to write in my journal. It is my quiet time. My time with God. It is in that time that my dreams come to me, in the stillness. I’m 29 years old, single, and don’t have children. I’m well aware that it is much easier for me to find quiet and stillness than some of you, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t. So mine is an hour on the beach…maybe yours is 15 minutes in the bathtub or 20 minutes in your car at soccer practice. It doesn’t have to be pretty (although that is more enjoyable), it just has to be quiet. That is when we hear God. That is when we can listen to our hearts and our minds and be in touch with God and with ourselves. Psalm 46:10 says, “Be still and know that I am God.”

God wants us to dream!

He made our lives, circumstances, and personalities all completely different and on different scales. Don’t compare your dreams to mine or your friends’, and don’t compare your day two to my day 956 or her day 347. God starts with small visions. He knows what we can handle. Some of us were born daydreaming. For others, it was never even a thought in our minds. As we learn to listen to our heart, trust God, and follow the directions, we’re given bigger dreams.

For those of you that have children, you wouldn’t give a four-year-old the job of mowing the lawn. You may let them hold the handlebar while you mow the lawn, but they’re too small and don’t know how. Even if you gave them instructions and showed them, their listening skills and maturity aren’t developed enough to follow the directions, so they wouldn’t, and then they could be discouraged or hurt themselves. You might start with having them help you fold laundry, easy and no risk. Then do dishes. Then, when they’re bigger, more experienced and more mature, you might ask them to mow the lawn.

God is the same way. Remember, to him; we are children. He won’t give us anything more than what we’re experienced enough to handle or than what he can help us accomplish. And, especially in our weaknesses, that is where God shows up strong (Philippians 4:13).

The Bible is full of dreamers! Some people were born with them, and others God told exactly what the plan was. Remember Abraham; God gave him a mission. Remember David; God gave him a vision too. For every single one, God was there to help them fulfill each season of the dream until they came to complete fruition. So, don’t be scared of big dreams or of dreaming in general. It is an opportunity for you to experience the greatest joy!

Psalm 37:4 says, “Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.”