Daring to DREAM
In order to soar, you need passion. Not just any passion—for money, or clothes, or success in your career or achieving personal goals. NO! You are made for so much more! You need a Spirit-given and maintained passion to honor God, to reflect His values and character, and to put Him first.For the next few months, we are going to work through the acrostic DREAM. Here’s what it stands for and what I’ll be sharing with you:
- D --DARE TO DREAM (Identify and live out what God has put within you.)
- R —REVIEW YOUR LIFE (Look at what brings you joy, what motivates you, where you succeed.)
- E —EXPLORE OPPORTUNITIES (Where can you use, invest, and bless others with your abilities?)
- A —ANALYZE OBSTACLES (External or internal challenges you can overcome.)
- M —MOVE FORWARD (Transform your passion, strengths and talents into God-directed action.)
What are the guidelines we’ll follow? Jesus’ words: Seek first the kingdom of God (Matthew 6:33) and: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, strength and your neighbor as yourself (Mark 12:30).I’m excited to inspire you to explore and invest what God has for you in 2014. Won’t you pass this opportunity on and invite your friends to join us in this fresh challenge?Read this for extra motivation.Here’s a story that sticks with me and spurs me on to live a life that honors God—at least, to the best of my ability. I hope it has the same effect on you.
“Jane” lived a safe life. She didn’t want to risk anything. In fact, all she wanted was to play it safe and take no risks. So she made three life-affecting decisions:
- She decided not to love too much because it was too costly. It meant giving up what she wanted—her freedom and independence. She reasoned that giving away what you have would just bring her problems, so she isolated herself, became hard and cynical, and lived without the nuisance of messy relationships.
- Jane then decided not to dream too much. She refused to have hopes and longings because they never got her anywhere and just brought disappointment.
- She also decided not to serve others. It would be a bother, a nuisance, and inconvenience. It would cost her the time and money she wanted to spend on herself.
One day Jane died. Appearing before God she proudly said, “Here is my life.”
And God said, “What life?”(Anonymous)
Let's Talk: What do you dream for 2014?
Tweetables:"In order to soar, you need passion. You are made for more! http://wp.me/p2JdPr-Pu - Dare to DREAM with @Choose2Grow." - Click here to tweet this."For the next few months, dare to dream with our lives and work through the acrostic DREAM with @Choose2Grow - http://wp.me/p2JdPr-Pu" - Click here to tweet this.This article originally appeared in January's issue of Thrive, my free monthly newsletter. If you liked this article, you may want to sign up for Thrive to receive future issues with more articles like this one! Click here to sign up for Thrive.
Poppy SmithInternational speaker, multi-published author, Bible teacher, and spiritual coachInspiring Women to Thrive! Permission to use this article is granted provided the following credit is fully included.Poppy Smith is funny, warm, and passionate about helping women grow spiritually and personally so they experience the love and power of Christ in life’s ups and downs. A former teaching leader with Bible Study Fellowship, Poppy has a Masters in Spiritual Formation and ministers extensively as a retreat and conference speaker both in the US and around the world. For more information about Poppy’s heart, her books and ministry, please visit her website at www.poppysmith.com.