“So we keep on praying for you, asking our God to enable you to live a life worthy of his call. May he give you the power to accomplish all the good things your faith prompts you to do.” 2Thessalonians 1:11
There is something so special about taking time to dream big. I wish I did it more often. But, the truth is that I’m not very good at acting upon the dreams and aspirations that I have, especially the ones that I believe have been placed by God. I want to dream big and accomplish all of the good things that my faith prompts me to do, but more often than not, I don’t. More often than not, I freeze up and then eventually talk myself out of pursuing the dream in my soul. I want to take some time to share some possible reasons why this is the case for me and hopefully encourage and challenge others in the process.
I am an incredibly realistic person, especially when it comes to how I view myself. I am someone who is keenly aware of my own weaknesses and flaws. They are almost always at the forefront of my mind. This is partially for self-preservation. I have to best understand what I can and can’t do so that when obstacles inevitably arise, I can be as prepared as possible. This is a good and helpful mentality at its best, but at its worst, it can lead to me only focusing on my weaknesses and obsessing over what keeps me from striving to accomplish what God asks of me. My view of myself is often defined by where I am limited, which leads to a huge lack of confidence. And that lack of confidence loudly proclaims that my dreams aren’t worth pursuing.
However, I have learned that this unhealthy mentality is simply the fruit of something that is much deeper. If I am truly honest with myself, there is a big part of me that simply doesn’t believe that I am deserving of the dreams and goals that my faith prompts me to do. I look at my desires and aspirations and genuinely think that I can’t reach them. Because of my own personality and painful scars from my past, I am almost always under the impression that there is someone who is better suited to accomplish the dreams that are in my soul. So, I freeze up, and I don’t pursue them like I know I should.
When looking at trying to dream big in a healthy and Christ-centered way, I am learning that, like most things in life, it takes balance. For sure, it is important to know one’s strengths and weaknesses, but we have to make sure that we aren’t solely focusing on the negative or the things that we simply don’t like about ourselves. We have to honestly look at the positive and affirm those qualities as well. We can’t let an honest view of our weaknesses grow into insurmountable fears that keep us from what we are being prompted to do.
But even when we are struggling to have the confidence to pursue all that God is calling us to, it is so important to remember that God is with us in the midst of it all. We dream big anyway, not because we always feel worthy or deserving, but because we are in Christ and Christ gives us the power to accomplish all the good things that our faith prompts us to do.