To The Dreamers

To the dreamers, the ones who want to soar- here’s how to make your relationship with Jesus the main part in figuring out what you want to do with your life.

What do you do when your dreams don’t make sense? When you think you know what your goal in life is, but you’re just not sure? When you’re tired of wondering what plan God has for you and just want an answer?

While I don’t have all the answers, I can tell you I’ve been there. I look up to God and say, “I trust you with my life, but what should I do? What goals should I pursue?” When the world is full of people telling you, ‘follow your heart’, but you know your purpose is to follow God, how do you know when you’re doing what God wants you to do? This seems like a pretty simple thing to know, and in some cases, it is. But what about the things that fill you with passion, the dreams you have of doing great and amazing things for the world? Should you follow them?

So, this post is to the dreamers like me, who have a little bit of “save the world” in them. The ones who fight for what they love. The ones who strive to grow in godliness and strength, and want to live life for Jesus.

About a week ago, I was really struggling with this. I didn’t think that I was going to know exactly what my life plan was at 15 years old, but I needed some direction. There were so many things in my life that I wanted to pursue, and I wasn’t sure which one God was pointing me towards. Was he pointing me towards any of them? I had no idea. But in three simple ways, I took steps to try to find out.

I prayed. I took walks down the rolling hills by our house, and talked out loud to God. When I went for runs, I would run a little farther out just so I could walk the extra distance back home and pray. I prayed, sometimes not even for something specific. I just talked. I wanted to know if I was taking my life in the right direction. I figured that the more I prayed, the clearer things would get. I was right! When I talked to God, I always felt a little better afterwards. Even if I didn’t have an answer. Even if my eyes stung with tears of frustration. It was always better to get it out, knowing one day it would be sorted out.

I listened. I’m still not very good at this. But, that being said, I’ve found that the more I dive into God’s word and the more I pray, the more I begin to hear what God has to say. This isn’t about doing the Christian thing to do and reading your bible. This is about using the tool that God gave us to look for truth and guidance. God will talk to us in so many ways, though! Through a bible passage, through a song, or even, if you listen closely, that small voice that reminds you of the truth in your head.

I did what I could. While I know that I had no idea what I was going to do with my life, I did know that there were some things that I could do! Along with reading the bible more and praying, I also tried to pay attention to what areas in my life needed more attention. I knew that whatever God was doing, he was helping me become a better follower of Jesus with a stronger faith. No day should go to waste in reaching this goal!

Finally, I realized what His answer was. My head was exploding with dreams and goals and things I loved to do, and I was totally lost in trying to figure out which one to pursue. I realized that maybe, right now, I just need to do what I can do. The answer that I got was:

Use your words, and be a light. 

While at first, I was thinking “This doesn’t help me figure out what to do with my life! Should I pursue my dreams or not?” I soon realized that THIS was what God wanted me to do. Whatever that means at the time. It could be writing a blog post for others to read. It could be speaking truth to people I know directly. It could look like something totally different when I grow older.

I’m talking to the dreamers when I say that it’s okay not to have everything figured out.

You know how I said that sometimes, God uses a song to help show us what he’s saying? Well, this is the part of a song that came to my head as I was thinking about this.

So come on, let Me dream, let Me dream for you
I am strong when you’re weak and I’ll carry you
So let go of your plan, be caught by My hand
I’ll show you what I can do
When I dream for you
I have a dream for you
(by Casting Crowns)

God wants us to trust HIM with our dreams. He wants US to pursue him. As a young person who is still deciding what they want to do, their main goal should grow into a deeper relationship with our heavenly father through Jesus Christ.

By all means, though, that doesn’t mean stop dreaming! You are blessed with an amazing imagination, and while you’re giving control of your life to God, that doesn’t mean just wait around! Try new things, explore your passions, but remember that God is ultimately in control. When plans change, you won’t be disappointed because you know that he is doing something even better!! So here’s to the dreamers, and let us always trust God with our future and never stop believing.

Thanks for reading!!

-Maddie