“We shall see what will become of his dreams.” Genesis 37:20 NKJV
“Your appraisal of God’s abilities will always color your estimate of realities.”
My thoughts today are, “Big dreams? A bigger God!”
From others’ disbelief and your own insecurity, you will often be tempted to adjust your hopes and dreams to a more reasonable scale according to your own abilities and resources, rather than your opportunities. Granted, there has to be some grasp of reality about your dreams, such as how much effort and sacrifice you are willing to give, and how much patience and faith will be required.
Do you know how the beautiful, Trinity Campus first began as a miracle from God? Years before, God gave me a dream that each passing year seemed to make less likely and more doubtful. Year by year, I allowed my appraisal of apparent realities to color my estimate of God’s abilities. About ten years ago as I was considering winding down my responsibilities, a friend asked me a simple question in a conversation at lunch, “What would you like to have done if there were no limits or restrictions?”
Suddenly, I heard my old dusty dreams come pouring out, dreams still alive in my heart without my long suppressed adjustments of being practical and realistic. Instead of calculating why the dream would not happen, we merely imagined what could happen, if . . A friend who believes in you and helps you believe in your God-given dreams is priceless!
Soon the church leadership, and then the congregation, confirmed those dreams as being God’s assignment for the church and schools, and together we stepped into an adventure. God provided in ways we could never have anticipated. We became excited possibility thinkers instead of impossibility believers, as we were eyewitnesses to a 21stCentury miracle. We saw firsthand that “All things are possible to him that believes.” Mark 9.23.
And the story is all about God! When the dream is your own, you bear the responsibility of achieving it. When the dream in your heart begins first in God’s heart, He invites you to partner with His accomplishing what otherwise was impossible. Jesus said, “What is impossible with men is possible with God.” Luke 18:27 NIV.
From these recent years, here’s what I can tell you about dreams. Every dream starts in someone’s heart who will listen to God and trust Him. Anyone can do what God wants them to do, if they will. God gives dreams that require a lot of help from a lot of friends. Dreams always come in a size too big for you to accomplish without God.
Until you understand that, you will not achieve your greatest dreams. May you always feel a freedom of spirit to dream big. I can verify firsthand that your God is “able to do exceeding abundantly above all that you ask or think, according to the power that works in you.” Ephesians 3:20. Today’s verse was stated about Joseph long ago but could also be asked about your life and mine; “we will see what will become of their dreams.”
My prayer for you today is: go ahead; dream big; God is yet bigger!