Do you ever get caught up in the idea of something? Like, the idea of everything you currently do not have? I myself am a “dreamer”. I mean, I literally dream every night, but the kind of dreaming I’m referring to occurs when you’re wide awake. Those fantasies, those visions, those desires that keep you moving forward in your calling in hope that one day they will happen. I think being a dreamer can be a good thing. Dreamers have vision. They don’t want to just stay stagnant, they want to accomplish greater successes than they already have. Without a vision people can perish. But like everything in this life, dreams have to be submitted to Christ. There is wisdom in submitting our dreams to Him because so often our dreams are not realistic. So often we think up these great ideas of how our lives would be better and yet these ideas lack the reality that nothing in this life is perfect and nothing in this life can satisfy the deepest need we were all born with.
At 32 years old, I know my life looks great on the outside. I know I have many successes and accomplishments that others would envy. Basically, the idea of my life is amazing but the struggle is always on the inside. The outside can never reveal the difficulties and challenges that occurred on the inside for those successes to manifest. And the outside never gives way to the inner turmoil and struggles that are battled daily. I have to remind myself that even the dreams and visions and desires I have that are not currently manifested do not include the messy, dysfunction, imperfect, reality.
They are the ideal.
When we submit those dreams, those visions, those desires to Christ, we are entrusting them to Him and He in turn, uses them to bring to pass what really matters. He actually prepares us for those promises but He doesn’t prepare us for the ideal. He prepares us for the reality. He knows what we are going to face when the promise manifests. He knows the challenges and difficulties and storms that are going to arise when those desires are finally fulfilled. He sees through the ideal because it does not exist and when we walk with Him, we can see through them too.
I was thinking recently about His blessings and the dreams He has brought to fruition in my own life. I was thinking about how though they have been blessings they have not been the ideal I had once upon a time pictured. That is when I realized, only He is the ideal. Only He can exceed our expectations and desires. When we get to heaven, I have no doubt we will be overwhelmed by how glorious and awesome He is. I have no doubt the Bible does not do Him justice in its description of the Creator.
It’s easy to glamorize what we do not have and think the grass is always greener. But that is just a ploy to keep us discontent; always searching for the next thing that also will not satisfy.
There is simply no ideal.
There is only Him.
SHALOM
Thank you for sharing. I believe since you are half my age that you have already arrived to a divine idea early in your walk here on earth and with God. God has allowed you to be where you are and know better on how to get there and what is real and possible. Isn’t God good!!! Now that you know, you can help someone else along the way when the opportunity arises which in this case, your blog is meeting some of this reality and for those that you meet or already know in your life, may be ready to listen?
Ty Linda! I know in the grand scheme of life my age puts me on the younger side of things yet I still struggle with wishing I had learned these truths sooner. But life is the best teacher and I marvel at others who come across wisdom without having to go through what I went through. Yes I hope to help others in their journey of truth and wisdom. I hope my story is an encouragement of God’s strength and faithfulness 🙂
He prepares us for reality! So good. And so true, Nicole. My dream was to write full-time. I imagined having loads of writing projects, agents knocking down my door, and the feeling that I had FINALLY arrived. But, that’s not how it’s shaking out.
But, I’m so grateful to have a Father to see me through the rough realities of life.
Ahhh His ways are not our ways! He gives us a word or dream or vision but does not inform us of the twists and turns in the process! Joseph is a great example of this 🙂 hang in there Simone!
agree – continue to trust God while going through the process, He already knows where you will end up for the better of your journey.