 Ciara Lilly is a Charlotte-area writer. Her faith-based column, Fishers of Men, is published here each Monday. Opinions expressed are solely her own. |
Do you remember how vivid your imagination was a child? As a child, we could imagine ourselves doing anything. There were absolutely no restrictions as to what we could achieve. It was as if we were pre-wired as children to believe Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
But what happens during the transformation from adolescent to adult? What causes many adults to lose touch with their inner-visionary?
I believe one of the answers is that we disconnect our imaginations to connect ourselves to responsibility. We journey from a world where our parents provide for us to a world of self-sufficiency and expectations.
Perhaps it’s our desire to be self-sufficient that allows us to settle for dead-end jobs that don’t necessarily fulfill our passions. Or maybe it’s the societal expectation that everyone should pursue the American Dream that prevents us from pursuing our own dreams? Whatever the reason, we can resurrect our inner-visionary.
“And the Lord answered me and said, Write the vision and engrave it so plainly upon tablets that everyone who passes may [be able to] read [it easily and quickly] as he hastens by.” – Habakkuk 2:2
Think of one dream you would like to achieve and write it down. Don’t just write down the basics; go into great detail, as much as your imagination will allow. Develop a plan of action and a prayer to accompany your dream. And every day find time to rehearse it all. Here’s an example:
If my dream is to become president of the United States of America, I wouldn’t just write down, “I want to become president of the United States of America.” Instead, I would imagine myself campaigning. I would ask myself questions like, “What would I say to the American people?” “What are my views on major issues?” I would develop a mock campaign strategy. I would watch presidential debates and write down my responses to the debate questions. Every day I would declare this dream over my life, even if my circumstances didn’t mirror my declaration. I wouldn’t stop until I was sworn in as president of the United States of America.
That may seem over the top, but let me remind you of Mark 11:23-24:
“I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea, and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. 24: Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.”
Now, I’m not telling you that it’s bad to work a job. I’m not telling you that pursuing the American Dream is bad either. If you’re working a job that you’re passionate about, that’s great! If you’re passionate about pursuing the American Dream, go for it! Yet, there are some of us who have suppressed our passions and dreams just to survive. There are some of us who don’t believe in dreaming, because we’re discouraged by current circumstances. And there are some of us who are about to give up on their dreams and just need this reminder from Habakkuk 2:3:
“For the vision is yet for an appointed time and it hastens to the end [fulfillment]; it will not deceive or disappoint. Though it tarry, wait [earnestly] for it, because it will surely come; it will not be behindhand on its appointed day.”
Wherever you are on your journey — whether you’ve settled at the wrong destination or hopped from destination to destination — it is my prayer that you’ve been encouraged to reprogram your GPS to take you only in the direction of your dreams!
