Dare to Dream

As I walked on the treadmill with “What Can I Bring?” (Jeremy Riddle) playing on my iPod, I felt God say, “Dare to dream.”  It was a message that He had given a friend earlier in the day.  I read on her Facebook status that He was asking her to dream, and I thought, “That’s kind of neat.”  A couple hours later, He was asking me to dream…

I often have a longing to be a part of something big that God is doing.  Something HUGE.  Something bigger than diapers and pediatrician appointments.  I know my role as wife and mom and the spiritual implications my “work” has on my family are HUGE.  I am irreplaceable in my husband’s life.  There is no substitute for me in my girls’ hearts.  I am not indispensable or invisible.  I MATTER.  I am invaluable to my family members’ physical and spiritual lives.  I know.

And, yet, I long to be a part of something even BIGGER.

As God invited me to dream today, I imagined how exciting it would be to go with God on a journey a la Beth Moore or Priscilla Shirer.  These women – wives and moms FIRST – ministers of God’s Word SECOND – are chosen by God to use their gifts of writing and teaching to reach MILLIONS of women worldwide.  They are uniquely anointed to join God in what HE is doing in the hearts of women who are hungry for more intimate relationships with the One who loves them most.

And, when I dare to dream, I WANT TO BE USED LIKE THAT!

There are a lot of practical (as well as irrational) reasons why I can’t be the next generation’s Beth Moore.  But if I shush those thoughts for just a minute, my heart soars in the excitement of the possibility.  At the same time, my soul is overwhelmed that my God would even consider someone so unworthy as myself to represent Him on a grand scale.

I don’t want to be a prominent Christian author and speaker so people will praise me.  I just want a front row seat to watch the Lord move in spectacular ways in as many people's lives as possible as often as possible.  At the heart of this dreaming is a simple desire - I want more of God.  As much as I can in this finite body, I want to be a part of everything God does wherever He is doing it.

The conferences that Beth and Priscilla speak at are filled with the most obvious occurrences of God's active involvement in people's lives.  Woman after woman testifies to the miracles the Lord is doing in and for her.  Genuine, uninhibited worship of the One true God fills the hearts of all who study under these great teachers.  When I dare to dream, there is nothing I would love more than to join God in what He does during those conferences and Bible studies.  Just to be a fly on the wall as His Holiness passes through arena after arena, church after church, small group after small group…  I’m not sure any other experience on Earth can fill me with as much continued praise and adoration for Him (in other words - worship).

All of these thoughts crossed my mind as I exercised this morning.   The next song on my iPod came on.  "If You Say Go" (Diane Thiel).  It was all I could do not to close my eyes and lift my hands in worship on the treadmill.  (That would have been disastrous, right?!) I don’t know what all of these thoughts mean.  But I am reminded of something I heard once.  Don’t tell God what you want to do for Him; ask God what He wants you to do for Him.  He stirred my heart to dream this dream this morning – of that I am sure.  Now I sit and ask Him, “Lord, what do You want me to do for You?”

Work

I'm one of those crazy people that thinks they are a part of something bigger than themselves. I think there is more going on in the world than 6.5 billion people making individual choices that only affect the people right next to them.

On the contrary, I imagine that we are all part of one story, and the Author is directing the characters (us) in a certain direction to accomplish a particular goal. A lot of people wince when they hear themselves called a "character". Our pride is hurt a little bit. We feel used and not in control of our own lives. And I think both those things are true, but not in a negative sense.

When an author introduces a character in a story, that character has a purpose. The rest of the story can't move forward, at least not the way the author wants it to, unless that character fulfills his purpose.

Jesus was a character. In the story of humanity, the Author needed to introduce a character who would enter the world and provide a way for broken people to move forward, out of their self-destructive ways and into something better.

Right before his crucifixion, Jesus said this to God, "I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do." In another translation, it reads this way, "I glorified you on earth, by completing down to the last detail what you assigned me to do."

If Jesus had been too prideful to be another "pawn" in God's story, he might've refused to do what the Author wanted him to. The results would've been catastrophic for you and me. The story would not have moved forward. God would not have been glorified.

After I read that verse, I began to wonder about myself. What's the work God gave me to complete on this earth? Am I trying to complete it down to the last detail? Or am I only putting forth half the effort I am capable of? And what will the results be if I refuse to do that which the Author has told me to do? Maybe the results will be catastrophic. At the very least, I bet the story will not move forward, not how the Author wants it to, anyway.

Most importantly, God won't be glorified.
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