God-sized Dreams

Where Dreams Set Sail

For When You Want to Sprint Toward That Dream

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windingpath

I’m a runner.

I first started really running several months after my daughter was born. That pesky baby weight was still hanging on, and I felt blah from all of the short nights and a basically brand-new life of this wonderfully exhausting thing called mommyhood.

However, I quickly found myself with almost a need to go running. Now I joke with people that I run for two reasons.

One, because it’s faster than walking.

And, two, so I can eat chocolate.

Take your pick…I think they’re both fantastic reasons, though one may tip the scales more than the other. 😉

I just run…I like to get where I’m going, and I like to get there fast.

And the same thing happens with my dreams, too.

I dream big, I dream all-out, and I dream in fast forward.

Must. Happen. Now. Yes, God? I know You totally agree.

I was thinking about this mindset during a Saturday morning several months ago as I tackled my first 10k. In the running world, this is not a huge accomplishment, but it was on my bucket list and something I wanted to cross off with a big, fat, thick X.

X.

And as I sprinted trotted through those miles of hills, (because why wouldn’t I choose a course full of hills for my first 10k???) I thought a little.

Or, a lot.

About how I treat so much in my life like a race.

Must sprint it, all out, and get there as quickly as possible.

As I trained for this race over the course of several months, I learned something. As the distances get longer and the goal gets bigger, Sprinting. Doesn’t. Work. (<—- Tweet this!)

Must focus on the end goal and ignore the rest.

That’s not such a great plan, either. First of all, I might miss the Gatorade stations…which are all happy and perfect if you like Gatorade and can drink it while you’re running. I tried, I failed. But even more important, there might be some pretty amazing scenery that’s an incredible blessing, not to mention a welcome distraction, when I’m sweating and dripping and gasping for breath around mile 4.7. (Hypothetically, of course…) Ignoring the journey is a lot less fun.

Must get that medal.

This is the first time I’ve run a race long enough to actually earn a medal around my neck at the end, and I have to shamelessly admit that I couldn’t wait for it…a little childish, maybe, but I was excited. Reality? I crossed the finish line in a half-dazed stupor, slightly-stumbled toward the sweet girl handing out medals at the end of the finisher’s corral, accepted mine, and then proceeded to walk over to the ditch, bend over, and heave for a minute or so. Once that was over, there was some celebrating, a few pictures, and coffee. That part was fun. But sometimes the end isn’t all we envision it to be. Oh, it’s still wonderful…but there might be some surprises thrown in there that we aren’t expecting. 😉

When I decided to chase down this dream of writing a book about a year ago, I had a plan in my head…one that looked something like this:

Write.

Edit.

Be completely adored accepted by the first publisher I meet with.

All in a few months.

Nope. Not. Even. Close.

What I imagined as an all-out sprint has become more of a slow-paced jog through the world of writing and tweaking and more tweaking–handing my words over to a friend, letting the draft sit for awhile, coming back to it, making more changes, pounding out a book proposal, hoping there’s a publisher out there who’d like to talk with me.

I’ve come to realize that my timing isn’t His…but that doesn’t mean the journey isn’t a good one. (<—- Tweet this!)

It’s definitely not the sprint I was hoping for.

But the lessons I’ve learned along the way have only made each twist and turn more beautiful.

And I’ll take those any day as I keep chasing down…or jogging after…my dreams.

What’s something unexpected that He’s blessed you with on the path to your dream?

Shared by: Mel Schroeder

Photo credit: NCinDC

Comments

    • Thank you, sweet Chelle! And, yes…SO mighty. I need to trust His timing…it’s always proven to be better than mine! Hugs today. 🙂

      Reply

  3. Oh how this resonates with me! When I first got the idea to write a book I thought, “How hard can it be?” which I’m sure sent God into hysterical fits of laughter because not too long after that he said, “Go back to college.” That actually excited me because I got to go back to earn a degree in something I loved! And then reality hit…..this wasn’t going to be all peaches and cream either. Recently I’ve got it in my head that grad school is what I want…only to discover that I don’t have a clear vision for what I want to pursue in grad school which more or less defeats the purpose of attending grad school in the first place. Long story short, while also finding myself and learning who I am, God is teaching me patience and his timing, not my own. There have been several “almost-temper-tantrums,” a lot of ” but whys” and more grace extended to me than I could possibly fathom. In the end though, God is still in control and I see his hand and his blessings daily, even through the, “I-don’t-like-this-so-I’m-not-talking-to-you-anymore!” moments. 😀 Oh yeah, and through all of this, I’m getting a clearer vision for my book, but I’m still trying to figure it out. Anyone out there who is wondering if all of the “stuff” that goes along with a God-size dream is worth it, it is! You just have to trust!

    Reply

    • Oh, the almost-temper tantrums…yes. I’ve soooooo been there. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could just SEE the whole picture? But then that would defeat the purpose of trust…and oh, the lessons (and Grace!) we learn there! Thank you for sharing this piece of your dreaming journey…blessings and prayers as you keep chasing what He has for you! So exciting, friend! Have a beautiful weekend. 🙂

      Reply

  4. I, too, recently took up running and love it for the exact same reasons you do! I’m still just doing a mile around the local track, but it’s a huge step for me and what has surprised me the most is the desire to run…like you said, once you start, it’s as if you can’t NOT do it. We’ve been hit hard with snow and cold weather this winter so my precious track is inaccessible..but there’are inside treadmills (in my cold garage- think “Rocky”) and spring IS coming!

    I love your comparison of life not being a sprint. So true. I had the wonderful opportunity of co-authoring a children’s picture book that was just released by Putnam on February 6th, and the process took about 4 years from the time they agreed to purchase the manuscript until it was published. Long. Long. Time. But yet, the process of us writing it and submitting it went relatively smoothly – and I think that may have spoiled me for next time…yes, there were rewrites and edits, but we were blessed to have that go extremely well. So now, I’m thinking Poof- Piece of Cake- let’s do this again! But there’s no guarantees for second time around….so I believe the slower pace for me is starting as I attempt to do this without a co-author, and on my own (with God!) Thanks so much for posting this – it spoke to me greatly!

    Reply

    • Your words are so encouraging today, Beth. Thank you…and congratulations on being published, too! And a second book…wow. This just made me smile. 🙂 And I love that you took up running, too…I find that it’s really my release. It’s my time, just me and my Father and whatever praise music I feel like cranking up. Enjoy it! 🙂

      Reply

    • Congratulations, Beth – on the book and the running!! For as out of reach as a book feels to me, running seems about 100 x further! It’s probably the other way around, but I’ve never been able to run. All you runners amaze me! : )

      Reply

  6. Oh, Mel. I can relate to this so much – with my dreams, with my family, with my timing … just not the 10K. 🙂 I love these words and your heart. Now I’m going to run my 2 miles.

    Reply

    • Two miles is great! 🙂 And I’m a little jealous…this is probably not the time to confess that I haven’t run a long distance for two months. The weather has been so bad, and I am not a treadmill runner, so I’ve had to settle for other cardio and strength training exercises. I’m so anxious for spring…I can hear the bike path calling my name!!! Hugs to you, friend…thanks for being here.

      Reply

  8. On my journey we have made a pit stop on the west coast to care for an ailing mother in love and have come to a wonderful church! This church felt like home the minute I set foot in it and I heard the worship service. The cherry on top was the awesome teaching of our Pastor, who takes us chapter by chapter thru the Bible.
    I was never taught that way it was for some 25 yrs topical teaching/preaching . I thank the Father each day that while we have to take care of situations we still can be fed and loved along the way!

    Reply

    • This is beautiful…I love how, even though it may have felt like a detour, God had such a good plan for you all! I also love that while your purpose was to bless your mother in law by caring for her, there were so many blessings waiting for you, too. Hugs today…thank you for sharing, Miriam! 🙂

      Reply

  9. Wow, Mel! I like learning more about you. I didn’t know you are a runner. Congrats on your 10K finish. I have always had a dream of writing a book, but have found there are many roadblocks or detours along the way. I have been unexpectedly blessed by writing a blog, and finding groups like this one online. I never had a dream for these, because I never heard of them until the last few years. I treasure them.

    Reply

    • Thank you, Janet…that’s so sweet. 🙂 Blessings to you as you keep writing and dreaming…what a gift He has given in this community. I agree! Have a beautiful weekend.

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  11. Mel, it sounds like you and I had the same expectations for that book LOL. I first started writing mine for a Women of Faith writing competition. I knocked out 16,000 words – only 10,000 were required – in less than a month (my version of a sprint considering I also work a full time job and run a practically full time ministry). I cringe when I think about how much I didn’t know that I didn’t know! It’s been several years since then…talk about a slow-paced jog! I’ve written and rewritten, brought it to a writer’s conference twice and had it critiqued (happily to favorable feedback). This last time, it became apparent that I probably had two different books going and things needed to be separated, rearranged and worked on some more. One is lending itself to an instructional on outreach, the other, my memoir. I keep saying neither is done because God keeps adding chapters.

    One of the things I’ve learned on this jog is how different God’s timing is from mine. I’ve also learned, sometimes begrudgingly, that timing is always perfect 🙂 When He gives a dream, He’s always faithful to bring it to fruition, but rarely is it what I would consider ‘quickly’. He planted the dream of bringing a life skills class to a homeless shelter we work with, but it took 3 years from the day the dream was given to the day it came together as a full program. Two years ago he gave me the vision for a church garden to raise produce for the local food bank, and this spring it looks like it will become a reality. I’m learning patience (ah, the “P” word!), trust, and discernment. I’m beginning to truly recognize the “God-nudge”- the idea that takes root, won’t leave, and gains momentum, even when I think “that’s crazy” or “it can’t be done”.

    Thanks so much for a great and inspiring post!

    Reply

    • Thank you for sharing, Toni! I love hearing about the different dreams He’s planting in the hearts of my dreaming sisters. 🙂 And, oh, the part about God adding chapters…YES! I’ve started keeping a running list in my phone because I will be in the most random places when He’ll whisper something, and I know it needs to be added. It kind of feels like the rough draft might never be done. 😉 Thank you for your sweet encouragement today…blessings as you chase down those dreams! (Or jog after…now I feel like that’s my new phrase. Haha!) Have a great weekend. 🙂

      Reply

  12. The running analogy is such a good one, Mel. Beautiful writing! Trusting in God’s timing is so challenging–thanks for this reminder to enjoy the journey! XOXO

    Reply

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