God-sized Dreams

Where Dreams Set Sail

Being Thankful For Dreams That Don’t Come True

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When Dreams Don’t Come True | meredithbernard.com for GodsizedDreams

Sometimes as I watch my children play, tears come without much reason it seems – but the reason is always there. Inasmuch as they are living dreams come true, they are also living examples of dreams not coming true. And for that, I’m most thankful.

Almost 6 years ago I sat on a tarmac in St. Louis, Missouri with dreams as wide as the blue sky and snow-covered ground I saw all around me. On the edge of my seat, I sat on the edge of what could have been a life-altering decision. I had just interviewed with a company that would possibly be offering me the “more” in life I thought I had always wanted. More prestige, more opportunity, more money…so much more than I had known. The job would have also meant more time away from home – a lot more.

My life was full with a one-year old son and a farm-at-home husband who did his best to work with my already sporadic work schedule. Even in the fullness of our lives, it was hard not to look ahead at the dreams of better for us – better house, better vehicles, better stuff.  I did realize it was just stuff, but having it almost in reach was enticing enough to want it anyway.

Even so, I didn’t take the possible decision lightly. I called in an army of prayer warriors and for the first time in my life, asked God to answer in a very specific way. I prayed that if He didn’t want me to take the job, I wouldn’t be offered the job. I knew the temptation to say “yes” may very well outweigh my heart’s ability to say “no,” if “no” was indeed what I was supposed to say.

Turns out my hearts-inclination was right and my God was faithful. I didn’t get the job offer, but I did get an unexpected raise where I was, because God’s not above doing what we can’t imagine or perceive in order to accomplish His will.

God is not above doing what we can’t imagine or perceive in order to accomplish His will.

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Even though I didn’t get a new career, a year later I received the priceless gift of a new baby girl. A baby girl our family may have never been blessed by if I had taken a job that kept me away from home and forced the option of a larger family off the table. A baby girl who has shown me more about myself and taught me more about life than I would have ever thought one child could.

What I know now is that God really does know best and His plan really is perfect – even if I have a hard time seeing it today.

What I know now is that sometimes the dreams we have for more, really only serve to give us less.

What I know now is that I am forever grateful that some dreams don’t come true, because that can lead to better ones that do.

Sometimes dreams not coming true leads to better ones that do.

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What dreams are you thankful for today that didn’t come true?

Shared by: Meredith Bernard

You Have Permission to Dream

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Permission to Dream GSD 640px

It can happen at any time. One moments it’s alive, breathing the fire of life, and the next, it’s dead, burned by the fires of life.

I’ve watched it happen in others lives and been burned by the fire in my own.

Dreams can be fickle that way. At times, easy to birth, and at other times harder still to keep alive.

Sometimes they die completely out of our control. We hold on tight, but they slip through our grasp anyway. Maybe our motives were wrong. Maybe our hearts weren’t right. Maybe God said, “Not now.”

When that happens, the only thing to hold onto is hope for the right dreams. The ones that don’t die. The one’s that can’t die because God’s holding on tighter than we ever could.

But sometimes our dreams die completely in our control.

She is doing what you feel called to, but her platform is so much bigger and the spotlight is so much brighter on her, you might as well give up the dream. You might as well let it die before it dies on it’s own anyway.

You’re a mom and mom’s are responsible for seeing other people’s dreams fulfilled and putting theirs on the back-burner. Until one day the back-burner gets left on and your dream is dried up like the water left to boil and forgotten about.

You are too practical to dream. Dreaming is for those who can’t see the here and now and don’t have enough foresight to make plans for the future.

 “We possess the right, the power, and the resources to dream, and we take it for granted.” – Jennie Allen

We tend to put God in a box, even when (especially when) it comes to how and what He has planned for us. God doesn’t just give dreams to some people and hold them back from the rest. In that we were created by Him and for Him, we were created with the intent to dream and to do…in His image, in His love and by His abilities given us.

God wants us to dream.
God expects us to dream.
God gives us permission to dream. (<==== Click To Tweet)
God gives us dreams.

And God gives life to dreams from His children that seek hard after Him and seek hard after His people.

No dream birthed in the will of God will not find life through God. (<==== Click To Tweet)

What would it look like if we all gave ourselves permission to dream more? What would it look like if we actually sought hard after God to reveal the dreams He has for us to fulfill?

A heart completely surrendered to God is a heart God can complete God-sized dreams through. (<==== Click To Tweet)

The path is laid. The steps are drawn. The way is made.

There is no doubt God has His perfect, purposeful plans already established for your life and mine.

All we need do is seek the Light and take the next step. One step at a time in Him, behind Him and through Him, will lead to dreams fulfilled. It’s time to give yourself permission to dream, because God already has.

Shared By: Meredith Bernard

When Rear-View Reflections Become Dangerous Distractions

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God Take the Wheel

For a lot of years, I spent too much time looking in the rear-view mirror of my life, because it was the easiest place to look. A certain sight or sound would trigger a certain thought and the next thing I knew, I was right back where I once was.

Sometimes rear-view reflections aren’t all bad. 

Sometimes they are sweet, gentle reminders of sweet, gentle people we wish were still here to spend time with. Sometimes our memories bring back moments of our carefree childhood selves that preceded moments of our careless later-in-life selves.

Sometimes rear-view reflections aren’t all good. 

Sometimes they are not-so-gentle reminders of times in our life that weren’t fun or fair or maybe all too frivolous. Sometimes our memories bring back days and times that we would just as soon forget, but that mirror keeps beckoning a second glance.

In as much as a rear-view look at the past can be a rewarding reflection, it can also be a dangerous distraction. (<====Click To Tweet)

There is danger in looking back when we aren’t keeping our eyes focused on what’s ahead. And if our eyes aren’t focused on what’s coming, our hearts and minds aren’t prepared for the road ahead, either.

Sometimes rear-view reflections keep us stuck in sin and shame that aren’t ours to keep. 

There’s no more dangerous place to be, than rooted in guilt and shame for sin that’s already been forgiven.

If you’ve accepted Jesus’ invitation to life, you have a NEW life in Him and the mirror to your past has been blotted out forever, covered with His blood, washed white in His grace and mercy. And if you haven’t accepted, the invitation is yours, free for the taking. 

There was a time in my life, even after giving my life to Jesus, that I had a very hard time accepting that I was wholly and fully forgiven. I had no problem believing that God could and did forgive other people for their sins, but mine were a different story…because I hadn’t fully embraced the fact that He was writing me a new story.

Once I exchanged the truth I have in the freedom of Christ’ forgiveness, for the lie that my sins were unforgivable, God turned my rear-view reflection into forward-view expectations.

When we begin to live looking forward, we live looking forward to life. (<====Click To Tweet)

Part of my new life ahead included dreams I had never allowed to gain ground, because I let fear of failure and insecurity in my adversities, muddy the path to their fulfillment.

Old dreams gain new ground when we let God take the wheel. (<====Click To tweet) 

No amount of looking back can make way for what God has planned for our future. And what God has planned for our future is far greater than anything we could imagine. Don’t take my word for it, take His…

“…I know what I’m doing. I have it all planned out – plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for.” (Jeremiah 29:11b, MSG)

Yes, dear friends, we serve a God who knows exactly what He’s doing and who has just the right plans for each of our lives and the ability to see our hopes and His dreams for us fulfilled.

Always in His time, His will and His way are His plans best brought forth. All we have to do is trust and keep our eyes fixed ahead on him, not behind. Because although our future may be shaped by our past, it’s never defined by it. Our future is defined by our Designer and in Him it’s perfectly laid out.

 

Shared by: Meredith Bernard

There’s always a seat at His table.

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Meredith

A fledgling adult in a middle-school lunchroom…

Is there anywhere a soul feels more vulnerable? I’ve yet to find it.

I still have nightmares about that place. I was never the one who had their sandwich, fruit, and juice packed neatly alongside a smiley-face sticky note by their mother. Nope, I had to brave the lunch line with the rest of the un-cool kids. And then after leaving the line…I had to find somewhere to sit.

All the stares. All the insecurities. All the drama. Every day.

The sad part is, I never outgrow these feelings. Put me in a big room with lots of people today and every ounce of teenage fear saddles up to this grown woman. I have birthed two babies and helped corral 1,800 pound cows down the chute to get them dewormed and dehorned…all of which I can handle. But don’t make me walk into a room full of eyes that have the potential of sizing me up for all that I’m not, and making me feel five feet shorter than I am.

Where does the insecurity in this scenario find its root?

In my fear of not fitting in.
My fear of not belonging.
My fear of not being important enough
My fear of just not being enough.

All the while, I’m scanning the crowd and sizing up every other person I see and wanting to be just like her.

She has the boots I just pinned on my “Me” board.

She has the hair I’ve been trying to achieve through three mishaps of home color and hundreds of dollars to fix at the salon…and I’m still not there.

She has the blog with 100,000,000 followers and the book contract signed last week.

She has it all. I have nothing.

Lie after lie after lie.

Sounds extreme…and it is. But it’s my extremely warped reality at times. And I’m tired of it. I’m tired of feeling like there’s no room at the table for me and I’m glad God is finally starting to show me how much of a lie this is. Because sisters, it is a lie straight from hell.

These words from Christ pour truth into the lies I’ve been believing…

”and I assign to you, as my Father assigned to me, a kingdom, that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.”- Luke 22:29-30

Jesus came as a servant. The King of Kings lowered Himself not only to be as the people He came to save, but to serve them…He’s assigned you and me as servants too and He has a reward for our service, just as He did for His disciples.

These dreams He is giving us to chase and fulfill require us to take OUR seat at HIS table. (<====Click to Tweet)

If we aren’t sitting in the seat He has assigned, we will miss out on the assignment He has just for us.

But don’t miss this…we are not at the table alone! We are never alone and our dreams aren’t meant to be fulfilled alone. We have the privilege of sitting amongst other sisters and brothers chasing and fulfilling their very own God-sized Dreams, at their very own seat, at the very same table. If that doesn’t get you excited, then I don’t have anything else for you today.

Friends…we have an assignment from GOD ALMIGHTY and a seat at HIS table TOGETHER. (<====Click to Tweet)

Yes, we are all different. Praise God He has given us each our own dreams to chase and fulfill for His glory in our own way…and Praise God we get to chase the dreams and serve Him and one another together.

And our reward? Adding seats to the table all the while with new dream-chasers that we draw near along the way.

Y’all, this is good stuff.

This is good, God-sized Dream stuff that is worth leaning into Him and one another for. This is worth pulling up our seat, eating from His bread of truth and drinking from His cup of salvation as one big team of Freedom-Fighting-Dream-Chasing sisters.

As we find our place and sit down to serve, He will fill our plate so full it will overflow. We have nothing else to do but share from His goodness.

Now, let’s pull up our seats at His table and get to it together. Are you in?

Shared By: Meredith Bernard