You’ve been showing up. You’ve worked hard. You’ve tried your best to listen to Jesus, and to follow where he has led you. What you didn’t expect was long seasons of silence, or releasing that dream into the world and for it to land with a gentle plunk. Your heart is in the right place. You don’t do what you do for recognition. You sincerely want to make a difference. This calling burns in you.
I see you because I have experienced those same things. We all have.
We wonder if we heard God correctly. We wonder why God called us to it, only for it to seemingly fail or falter. We know that we are exactly where we should be, doing exactly what he called us to do and there’s joy in that, but it’s also hard.
Today, I want to remind you (and myself) of something.
God sees it all. He is delighted with your obedience. He knows that you could spend the same amount of time on other things and the reward would be visible, but that’s not his measurement. He sees the eternal value. He sees how it lands in the heart of one person, and how that translates into generations of transformation. He sees the tears as freedom breaks the chain someone has carried for her whole life, or the joy as one of his children moves just a little closer to him — because of your faithfulness.
He sees you listening for his voice, and that lights him up — for he seeks far and wide for the one who is faithful. He sees your willingness to partner with him and it brings joy.
When that dream seems impossible
by Suzie Eller | Aug 19, 2024 | Faith, Feelings | 8 comments
I don’t know what dream you are holding close, but I do know what it’s like when a dream feels impossible. Or how hard it can be when you feel that God spoke a dream over you, but it seems like you aren’t getting any closer no matter how hard you try.
When we look into scripture, we see this same story played over and over. Joseph had a dream, but it began with a pit and betrayal. Hannah had a dream, but it involved waiting far longer than she hoped. Mary was given a dream but it felt risky. Paul was shown a vision but it meant going the opposite direction of his original plans.
Found within these stories, as well as ours, is this simple truth:
God’s path to our dreams might look different than our own.
Joseph’s pit was the path to power.
Hannah’s waiting was instrumental to holding her dream lightly when it was finally placed in her arms.
Mary’s risk was the path to trust.
Paul’s new direction felt unfamiliar, but he found purpose (and Jesus) along the way.
That dream God gave you isn’t just a finish line. It’s a beginning. It’s an up. It’s a down. It’s a waiting time. It’s frustrating. It’s joy. It’s aha moments where we see how God uses every part of the journey. It’s all of it. Every single drop of the journey.
So, dream on, sister.
Begin to see every part of this dream as instrumental. There is growth and teaching and transformation and trust in every part.
Take that step as you sense Jesus leading. You don’t have to have every single detail mapped out. If you hit a rock wall, it doesn’t mean that you are finished, but that maybe climbing over that rock wall is where Jesus is making you strong. You don’t have to know the entire outcome, because if that’s the goal, you might just be taking your own path instead of the one God is carving out for you one step of faith at a time.
So I shared one truth, and here’s another:
It’s not about where we are going, but who we are walking with that matters.
If that dream you’ve been holding onto isn’t from God and you know it, it doesn’t mean there’s not a dream for you. There is.
And isn’t that the best dream of all — walking with Jesus, discovering the paths he has for you, stepping into the new with him one day, one act of trust, one hard and wonderful step at a time.
Don’t beat yourself up in that season of trust.
Some of the greatest heroes of the Bible experienced miracles — and also discouragement. They were human, just like you and me, but they were also faith warriors. Not because of who they were or what they did, but because they continued to show up, continued to trust. And God used that, just like he’s doing with you.
So, if this is you today, I see you. Jesus sees you.
Thank you for showing up. Thank you for your faithfulness.
Thank you for trusting God as he does an eternal work with what you hold up to him. One day, we’ll see the beauty of what only God can (and did) do.