Have You Stopped Dreaming?
- Kathleen Hardaway KathleenHardaway.com
- Updated Apr 07, 2017
Do you feel like your dreams are fading further and further away? Life keeps passing you by, and so do your dreams. You’re starting to believe you may have missed it. But you know deep in your soul you were made for more!
Maybe you’ve accomplished some amazing things; and yet, at this point in your life, you feel stuck. You feel powerless in your current situation. There’s an overwhelming cloud that covers you, and you wonder, Is this it? Will my life ever be any different? The thought of having your same life is causing you great anguish, and you wonder how anything could ever change.
What is it that runs deep in your soul? Do you have an ongoing nagging in your heart that simply will not go away? Maybe you’ve shared your dreams with family and friends and just talking about it brings tears to your eyes. You know you were made for more, but you’re just not sure how to get there.
Satan wants nothing more than for you to become worried, restless, and to make you think your life seems to have no purpose. Don’t listen to his lies! He’s doing all he can to stop you from living the life God has planned for you.
Satan’s goal for your life is to STEAL and KILL and DESTROY you, but Christ came so that you may have LIFE, and have it ABUNDANTLY (John 10:10).
How are you doing? Unfortunately, far too many are stressed out, burned out, and are freaking out about their future. It’s easy to fall into a life of anxiety!
Stress starts in the mind. “For as he thinks within himself, so he is…” (Proverbs 23:7). Ask yourself, What do I think about? What’s stealing my joy and keeping me from pushing forward with my dreams?
Are you consumed with life’s problems and challenges so that your mind dwells on negative thinking? Are you anxious about your future? Don’t believe that change in your life is not possible.
Never give up! It’s important to believe your story is not over. Until you breathe your last breath, it’s not over. God has given you more time, time to do even more. The key is to find out what it is He wants you to do. Do you know? If not, ask Him until He shows you—keep asking!
Often people look at success and believe their career should peak at a certain age. Do you think that’s true? Let’s look at some highly successful people and see what age they were when they made some great accomplishments:
- Thomas Edison was forty-six years old when he invented the light bulb.
- President Regan was sixty-nine years old when he was elected the President of the United States in 1981.
- Walt Disney was fifty-four years old when he opened Disneyland.
- Colonel Sanders was sixty-five years old when he kicked off the start of his fabulous franchise for Kentucky Fried Chicken.
My friend, what’s holding you back? Don’t look at your obstacles, but look at all the opportunities that you may have. If you feel God is leading you to dare to believe Him again for something different in your life, pray and see what He wants you to do. Keep praying; keep seeking Him for what steps you need to do next. Do you feel like you have too many challenges stopping you?
Are are you looking at people that seem to have it all? Looking at others can be a slippery slope of discouragement. Be careful wishing you had what others have. There are plenty of people you can look to who just might encourage you. If you choose these people carefully, you may be enormously blessed.
I’ll never forget the day I saw Nick Vujicic. I was sitting in a packed out crowd of people waiting for him to come on stage. First I heard the sound of an electric motor, and it appeared to be some kind of lift. He was being lifted onto the stage! Then Nick walked out on stage—but not like most of us walk. You see, he has no legs and no arms. I was amazed that he could stand and even walk. Nick’s enthusiasm was contagious! I was deeply moved that day, and he clearly made an impact with the audience. I later began to read his books and watch his videos.
I love what Nick says in his book Life Without Limits. He writes, “My name is Nick Vujicic (pronounced VOY-a-chich). I am twenty-nine years old. I was born without any limbs, but I am not constrained by my circumstances. I travel the world encouraging millions of people to overcome adversity with faith, hope, love, and courage so that they may pursue their dreams.”1
He says it all right there. It takes great faith and hope in a God who can do all things, in His love that carries us when we may feel like no one else cares, and the courage to keep on keeping on.
Nick also says, “Often we feel life is unfair. Hard times and tough circumstances can trigger self-doubt and despair. I understand that well. But the Bible says, ‘Consider it pure joy, …whenever you face trials of any kinds.’ That is a lesson I struggled many years to learn. I eventually figured it out, and through my experiences I can help you see that most of the hardships we face provide us with opportunities to discover who we are meant to be and what we can share of our gifts to benefit others.”2 What powerful truth Nick speaks! He inspires me greatly.
Who inspires you? Do you have a Nick in your life? You can choose to look at people who seem to have it all or look at those who rise above it all. I can’t begin to comprehend the challenges that Nick faces daily. But, he’s choosing to let God use all the disappointment, all the difficulties in his life, for good.
So what’s stopping you? What are you telling yourself and who are you listening to? What obstacles are you facing? Take another step. Today, step toward the vision God has given you!
Never ever give up! Choose to be unstoppable. Dare to believe God again and again with your dreams!
Notes: 1-2. Nick Vuijicic, Life Without Limits, (Colorado Springs, CO: Water Brook Press, 2010), vii.
Image courtesy: Pexels.com
Publication date: April 6, 2017
