Four steps to keeping your dreams alive this New Year
I have vivid and colorful dreams almost nightly, but my husband, Sean, often says he didn’t dream the night prior. I awake the next morning recalling life-ike details and graphics from my dream. If I don’t immediately remember the dream upon waking, usually a song, smell, color or word throughout my day will bring the screenshot images of last night’s encounter rushing back to me. Maybe our real-life dreams and goals should hold the same type of detail? As we go through our days, weeks, years – specific people, opportunities, open doors, and relationships will bring back a refreshing purpose to our dreams. As we have these encounters we will begin to see the bigger picture as Jesus helps us piece together all the intricate details of our goals to help bring our dreams to fruition.
Recognizing these priceless opportunities requires “vision”. Not to just see the job as a nine to five, but instead see it as an opportunity to pay off your debt and provide finances to go on the mission’s trip you have been dreaming about since you were a teenager at church camp. In order to recognize something for more than what it is, you must obtain the vision. Vision defined has profound meaning, “the act or power of sensing with the eyes; the act or power of anticipating that which will or may come to be”. Vision isn’t just a mental activity, but it says it is an “act”. An “act” is the process of putting the vision into motion.
In my blog post from last month (HERE), I shared the key to patience is being a visionary. You must keep the vision and dream at the forefront of your mind. Never losing sight of the end goal. When you have a dream, there are some key things we can do to keep the dream alive. Here are four things I recommend to be used in your process of putting the vision into motion:
1. Do your research!
The love, story of Jacob and Rachel in Genesis 29, tells us how Jacob worked a total of fourteen years to marry Rachel. The original agreement was to work for only seven years. If Jacob had done his research, he would have realized that the father of one or more daughters would never marry off the younger of the two prior to the oldest. If Jacob realized this, he could have found Leah a husband and he wouldn’t have been tricked into marrying her himself. This would have saved him seven years of further labor to Laban, the father, to marry the youngest daughter, Rachel. Don’t be so focused on the “dream” that you don’t recognize your current setting and environment.
2. Make your passion your dream.
Jacob quickly recognized his passion and love for Rachel. It says in Genesis 29:11: “Then Jacob kissed Rachel and began to weep aloud”. It is easier to stay focused on the goal when you are passionate about it. Jacob loved Rachel which made laboring for fourteen years, worth every minute, day, week and year till he held her in his arms. I love how Jacob’s affection for Rachel was described in Genesis 29:20, “they seemed (the fourteen years) like only a few days to him because of his love for her”. When you are passionate about something, it becomes a labor of love and not work. What is your passion? If your passion is for children in foster care, then consider volunteering as a BIG sister or brother to bring life and love to their lives. If your passion is for the homeless, begin to collect blankets and socks to donate towards an organization that helps the cause. If you can’t stand hearing the stories of sex trafficking taking over our youth and nation, then maybe God is speaking to you about volunteering for a local non-profit or starting your own to combat this evil.
3. Come up with a plan.
In Proverbs 14:23 we read, “all hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty”. Talking about a dream and goal will only get you so far. There is a time to “dream”, envision your future and God’s plans for your lives. Then there is a time to put those dreams into action. At some point, you will need to work towards those dreams. It may seem like hard work at times. You have to put forth the effort to get the end result. Everyone can “talk” about doing something, but will you be the one to actually do something in order see your dream fulfilled? If so then it’s time to come up with a plan and start working towards it!
4. Get your grind on!
Working towards your dream or any goal won’t be easy but it will be worth it. Colossians 3:23 encourages us to “work at it with all our heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters”. Anything worth having is worth working towards. Not only do you appreciate the end goal more but there is pride in the accomplishment of how far you came to get where you are. In the story of Jacob and Rachel, he got his GRIND on! He worked a total of fourteen years to marry Rachel. He never swayed in his drive to reach his goal – to marry Rachel. Even when he was thrown a curve a ball and married Leah, he kept his focus on Rachel and labored for another seven years to marry her.
Whatever your dream is today, I encourage you to press in, don’t give up or lose your focus. Keep your eyes on the goal, be patient, work hard and watch God turn your dreams into reality!
Lauren Clark
Style Speaks V: Dare to Dream
Interactive Faith & Fashion Conference
LOUNGE SESSIONS - POP UP SHOPS - FASHION SHOW
Presented by Created Woman & Events Unleashed
Dare to to pursue your dreams, live faithfully and overcome your fears at every stage of life at Style Speaks V: Dare to Dream fashion show and interactive conference.
Entrepreneurs, dreamers, philanthropist & fashionistas, will come together for a day packed with power lounge session featuring speakers from every generation sharing tools and life experiences on how to step out of your comfort zone, dream big, and give back.
