Remember when you were young and had all kinds of crazy dreams about your future? What did you love doing when you were a child? My first career aspiration was to be an artist; I loved drawing–especially horses. Then once I became an avid reader, I desired to become a writer. In high school, I wanted to be a math teacher and then an accountant.
God places unique dreams and passions inside each of us. When you’re young and have your whole life ahead of you, it’s easy and fun to think about what your future will look like. There are no limiting beliefs, just boundless confidence and undimmed hope.
As we grow, sometimes our experiences stifle our dreams or make us fear the risk of reaching for them. Sometimes our circumstances lead us to give up on our dreams because the reality looks different than what we were shooting for. Sometimes God shuts the door on a road that you thought you were meant for.
There are two months left in this year, but more importantly, in this decade. We will soon have the fresh start of a new year in a brand new decade. If you feel like you have stalled out in life or are too scared to even name the dreams that call to you, I want to help.
Let’s decide to let go of our fears and start dreaming now about what we hope for in the next 10 years.
Reflect on your past
As the year winds down, set aside some time to look back and remember the past ten years. As you reflect, ask God to open your eyes to areas where you struggled with control or fear, where you diverted from the path He called you to, or where you could have done more to serve Him. Ask Him to clarify His lesson for you in the difficult why’s.
Remember the facts–where you lived, where you worked, what your relationships looked like, the quality of your health and what financial position you were in.
Recall your successes and achievements over the last ten years, as well as your losses and failures. This time of reflection is where we learn what we are made of. This is where we grow and change course if we need to. This is where we see how far we have come.
Reflection may bring you great joy and pride, and it may bring you sorrow and regret. No matter what happened, look back with a lens of a grateful heart. If things didn’t go well, be thankful for the lessons God taught you. We grow stronger in the hard seasons of life. We discover our tenacity when we get knocked down and choose to stand back up. We learn to trust God more in these seasons.
If it was a successful decade, whatever your definition of success is, thank God for these victories. Consider what brought you the most joy. Rejoice and praise God for those blessings.
Dream for the future
Before you start dreaming about your life in the upcoming decade, pray and ask God for direction and wisdom. “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.” James 1:5 NIV. Our lives are best lived when our vision aligns with God’s vision for our purpose. Wisdom helps us to align with God’s will.
Now consider the big, audacious dreams in your heart. Just like when you were little, let your imagination run. Rediscover your boundless confidence and undimmed hope.
What have you always wanted to do but have held yourself back from doing? It might be to start a nonprofit organization that helps abused women. You could wish to become a foster parent. Perhaps you hope for a stronger faith–the kind that reflects the goodness of God and shines from your life in all that you do. What has kept you from reaching for those goals?
While we have to stay grounded in reality, we don’t have to stay stuck in a cycle of fear that prevents us from reaching for our dreams.
Joshua 1:9 is one of my favorite verses. It says, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”
God designed us for a purpose and placed unique passions in our hearts. He calls us to be courageous. Identify your dreams. You have gifts that only you can bring to the world around you. Let’s use this fresh start of a brand new decade to work toward those dreams.
Devise a plan
If you aim at nothing, you’ll hit it every time.
Zig Ziglar
To live fully into our calling from God, we can not passively ride along in the river of life. Instead, we must actively try to reach those dreams that God has placed in our hearts. We must courageously grow and improve and fail and stand back up and keep reaching.
Regardless of your past, you can decide to start trying today to become the person you desire to be and to make your dreams a reality. If your dreams are aligned with God’s will, He will provide a way. The world needs your gifts and your contributions; to serve God and find your purpose, you must be willing to give from those talents.
Whatever your dream is, start devising a plan to reach it. Start reading the books, networking with the right people and learning more about achieving this dream. To reach this dream within the next ten years, what steps do you need to take today? Within the next year? What do you need to have accomplished in five years?
Break down your dream into actionable steps, and most importantly, start working.
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The best time to plant a tree was ten years ago.
The second best time is now.
Chinese proverb
If you had started working on that dream ten years ago, where would you be now? Don’t put off your dreams. You are not guaranteed a tomorrow.
What do you want the next decade of your life to look like? Let’s ponder these goals now so that we can hit the ground running in the new year and in the new decade.
Reflect on your past, dream for your future and then devise a plan. Let’s live our best lives in the 2020s. Let’s shine brighter than ever before.
Lord, thank you for the passions and gifts that you have placed in our hearts. May our vision align with yours for our lives and may we courageously step out in faith down the path you have laid before us. Help us to use our gifts to bless others and glorify you. May we shine brighter by living in the purpose you designed just for us. Amen.
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