As I left the office on Thursday night, I felt in my heart that the Lord is telling me that I am busy living my dream, but it is not dressed as I expected it to be. It is dressed in long hours, hard work and stress, and because it is not dressed in the way I expected it to be, I can easily miss it.
For years it was easier for me to live someone else’s dream, I made their dreams my dreams. I did not have to take risks and I did not have to face disappointment or failure. The thing is, even if you live someone else’s dream, your own dreams never go away. You just never voice them, you bury them deep inside in the hope that they will go away. You never voice them because you don’t believe that you have what it takes to make your dreams come true, and what if they do come true?!
To not live your own dreams, is to not live your own life story. Not living your own life story is exactly what the enemy wants, he is a thief and “the thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy;” (John 10:10). But the good news is Jesus came so that we may have life and have it to the FULL (John 10:10). This verse gives us a clue of exactly what we can expect will play out in the plot of our life story. There is a fight – two opposing parties – one with good plans for your life, and then there is the enemy with a totally different agenda for your life.
One of the most profound explanations of John 10:10 is in the book “Waking the Dead” by John Eldredge, it reads: “Before he promised us life, Jesus warned that a thief would try to steal, kill and destroy it. How come we don’t think that the thief then actually steals, kills, and destroys? You won’t understand your life, you won’t see clearly what has happened to you or how to live forward from here, unless you see it as a battle. A war against your heart. And you are going to need your whole heart for what’s coming next. I don’t mean what’s coming next in the story I’m telling. I mean what’s coming next in the life you're living.”
Have you given up on your dream? Perhaps the more important questions are: Can we afford not to dream? Is that worth the risk of never seeing dreams come true? Is the safety of not dreaming better than the thrill of experiencing a dream come true? Would we really want to live a life without dreams?
In Jeremiah 29:11 the Lord says: “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “they are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” I want to encourage you with the words of Oswald Chambers: "Leave the Irreparable Past in His hands, and step out into the Irresistible Future with Him." I dare you to dream and to start living a good story. Don’t watch from the side-line. My prayer is that the Lord will make you courageous.
Author: Istell Orton