I heard a lot of groans this week. Discouraged sighs that tugged at my heartstrings and tweaked my emotions.
Maybe you were one of those people I heard. Were you?
If you read Wednesday’s post then you know how I’ve dealt with some of the “noise” that’s threatened to upend.
Still…
Life and circumstances can rattle us. They can make us question things we normally wouldn’t.
They can hold us hostage to irrational thinking and skewed beliefs.
Hard knocks can also suck our joy, steal our thunder, and puncture our dreams.
And speaking of dreams—are they really worth it anyway?
When day in, day out, we work our socks off without nary a hint of success down the road, are dreams flights-of-fancy or are they belief in something we can’t yet quite name?
When should we give up our dream?
Let’s think about that for a minute.
Dreams are the pieces of our soul, I think, that reflect our deepest yearnings.
Sometimes, we speak words of affirmation to those yearnings and give wing to our secret desires. Other times, we ferret away vestiges of hope for fear of what folks may think.
I’ll use writing as an example.
As a little girl, I knew I wanted to be a writer. I wanted to write glorious stories with flesh and bone characters who didn’t just muddle through life, but instead, grabbed it by the throat without letting go!
Over the years I made some modifications to the dream:
- I set active goals
- I prayed
- I read
- I wrote
- I spoke it aloud
- I nurtured it
- I claimed writing as mine
- I believed I could do it
- I learned
- I never gave up
I’m still traveling the road.
Claiming the dream.
Older.
Wiser.
Tattered around the edges some.
But not without courage.
At times, the path’s been difficult. I’ve wanted to shelve the dream.
For a while.
When it’s been tough-going, I’ve dug in my heels.
Raised my head high.
And determined…
Just one more time.
TRY just one more time.
Today, friend, if your resolve is wilting, your energy lagging, and your hope sinking, know this: your dream is worth it.
You may be sick, tired, cranky, or bored. Your dream’s still worth it.
You may have quit and started over a hundred times.
Your dream’s still worth it.
You may feel like a wannabe, has been, or a never-will-be.
You’re dream’s still worth it.
That’s not Pollyanna thinking—though I do love her so.
It’s what God has promised and His intent for you. (Jeremiah 29:11)
I wrote this some years ago and I keep it beside my computer. It keeps things in perspective.
GOALS: Something I try to realistically shoot for with God’s help.
DREAMS: Something beyond the scope of the tangible, but completely possible
with the One who moves mountains.
See?
It’s those little, ol’ words that affect and shift our mindset—faith. Hope. Miracle.
For just a moment—for today—don’t think beyond those.
Those words are enough.
Be strengthened by them.
Tethered to them.
And buoyed because of them.
Hug your dream to your heart and never give it up.
Refine it maybe. Give it new wings.
Then…
Soar.
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PLEASE SHARE THE ENCOURAGEMENT
Sometimes modifications are necessary. The truth about dreams.
Stuck? How to refine your thinking when you question your dream.
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MORE ENCOURAGEMENT
Be a Different Egg. Don’t Get Scrambled!
Start Your Dream With “Pretend”
Passion: 15 Tips to Kick-Start Our Creativity
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________
What’s your dream?
What will you do to make it happen?
***
Here’s to a smile-filled weekend!
Much Love and Many Blessings,
