God has put a driving passion in you to do something special. Why wouldn’t he? You are created in his image – the only person exactly like you in the universe. No one else can do your dream.  – Bruce Wilkinson, The Dream Giver

The Dream 

From the time I was young, I had my dreams and passions – of family and teaching and life in the country. I’ve been blessed with the great fortune of living my dreams in real life – myself and the three God gave me. First my husband, then two precious children. 

I remember the colors, the music and laughter, the hard work, and the growing pains as God stretched us all and shaped us to be more like He wanted us to be. Waking up, I find myself standing on the other side. 

And while I stand here, I look, and I listen. 

I look back toward the past, and then I turn to look forward, and I do both on any given day. I listen hard as the notes fade away and the concert is over. It feels sad and quiet and my heart aches because the time went by so fast. I’m left here, in the in-between of two seasons, missing the little ones all grown up. 

 Quiet Places

But then I read, and I’m reminded that God is singing over me.

The LORD your God in your midst, The Mighty One will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing. Zephaniah 3:17 NKJV

I hear my Maker whisper quietly into my heart, “I want you to sing again.”

The LORD your God in your midst, The Mighty One will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing. Zephaniah 3:17 NKJV Click To Tweet

I slowly begin to realize that I’m standing at the edge of a new place full of possibility. It’s a place where there’s a new song I can sing, where new passions can come to life, and unfulfilled dreams from long ago can become colorful again.

Most of us dream big dreams when we are young, but time seems to make the music fade, doesn’t it? The dreams become dimmer and harder to remember. We get busy and our days become hectic and full of too many things. 

Perhaps you, too, are standing on the edge of a new season, and you can’t hear the music. You don’t know where your dreams have gone.

But God

But God, He has already done something about that. 

For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. Romans 11:29 NKJV

The gifts and calling God gives you are irrevocable which means they are with you throughout your life. They’ve remained inside of you, perhaps slipping in and out of sight all these years. Your passions and dreams for the future are connected to your calling. The gifts God gives you will help you carry out that calling. If you nurture these things, they grow and come to life. But if you let your dreams grow dim and allow your passions to fade, you lose something – all of us do.

Someone, somewhere, needs what only you can give. 

But if you let your dreams grow dim and allow your passions to fade, you lose something – all of us do. Someone, somewhere, needs what only you can give. #dreams #Godspurpose #journeytoimperfect Click To Tweet

If thinking about your passions and dreams seems hard, you are not alone. Many others have gone before you in the challenging journey of having passions come to life inside of them.

Moses was passionate about how the Hebrew people suffered, but he ended up in the desert where God spent 40 years getting him ready to go to their rescue. (Exodus 2-4:19)

Ruth was passionate about love and family connections and she believed God would provide. She would stay with her mother-in-law, even though it meant an uncertain future and leaving all she had ever known. (Ruth chapter 1) 

Nehemiah had a passion to rebuild the wall around Jerusalem, even though he was ridiculed and faced constant opposition. (See Nehemiah chapters 1-7.)

Esther was passionate about her heritage and her people, even though it could mean her death to go before the King. (Read the book of Esther for this amazing story of courage in the midst of fear and inner turmoil.) 

Daniel was passionate about praying to God three times each day, even though he knew it might mean his life. (Daniel chapter 6)

Mary, the mother of Jesus, was passionate about trust and obedience, even as she faced the magnitude of what others would think. (Luke 1:26-38)

Jesus was passionate about giving us eternity, even though many would mock Him and turn away. Their unbelief did not stop Him from doing what God called Him to do. (Read one of the gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke or John) 

We can see from the story of these lives that passions and dreams are not always about getting a particular thing done. They can also express a way of life. Some dreams are very quickly evident, such as the building of the wall. Other dreams and passions are more like ripples in the water that start small and continue to grow larger, touching more and more lives along the way.

God used each of these individuals to make a difference. They each impacted the world around them as well as future generations. And they did this in a way that only they could do. 

Jesus, especially, fully lived out the passion placed inside of Him by God the Father. He lived it with grace and arms open wide, promising us that we can live life fully, too.

I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. (John 10:10b NIV)

 Coming to Life 

If your dreams are beginning to surface again and you are thinking about things you are passionate about if you desire to live a more fulfilling life, pay close attention because God is calling. A fulfilling life lies in following the dreams and passions God has placed in your heart. They are clues pointing to your purpose – the way that you can live life for God’s glory. 

A fulfilling life lies in following the dreams and passions God has placed in your heart. They are clues pointing to your purpose - the way that you can live life for God’s glory. #dreams #Godspurpose #journeytoimperfect Click To Tweet

Here are some things you can do for those times when dreams, passions, and callings are elusive and hard to find. 

• Ask God to keep stirring up the passion inside of you. The more you pay attention to your Creator – the One who has designed you for His purposes, the clearer things will become to you. Prayer is the most important part of this process. As we pray and wait we have to move with the tempo of the music as we also listen to the words He’s singing over us. Trust God’s timing and know that He will get you to where you need to be. He’s getting you ready for the beautiful harmonies that only you can sing!  

While you wait, here are some verses to pray and reflect on. 

I know that You can do everything and that no purpose of Yours can be withheld from You.  -Job 42:2 NKJV 

Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails. -Proverbs 19:21 NIV

The purposes of a person’s heart are deep waters, but one who has insight draws them out. -Proverbs 20:5 NIV

• Find supportive people. Look for your balcony people. Balcony people love to lift you up. They believe in you and have this uncanny ability to see your gifts and talents. Go and sit with them. They are cheering you on!  

“Let me encourage you to sing God’s song, and let me remind you that the song in you is His idea.” – Joyce Landorf Heatherley, Balcony People

• Focus on your strengths and how you can operate from them. There is an inventory called the CliftonStrengths Assessment which lists your strengths in the order of their intensity. The odds of finding someone with the same top five themes in the same order as you are one in 33.4 million. That’s an amazing picture of how uniquely God created you to do the things that only you can do! 

  You can find out more about the CliftonStrengths Assessment here. 

• Discover your spiritual gifts. The Bible tells us that God gives each of us spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians 12:7). If you are interested in learning about your spiritual gifts, here’s a link to some free tools. 

  What is God telling you about how you can use your spiritual gifts? 

• Read inspiring books. Here are two that I am reading and both are inspiring me in different ways:  

The Dream Giver by Bruce Wilkenson. This book is an allegory about a man named Ordinary who leaves the Land of Familiar to pursue his Big Dream. I’m willing to bet you’ll see your life story inside of this modern-day parable as your dreams begin coming back to life. You’ll see the possibilities of what God can accomplish when you choose to pursue the dreams He has given to you. 

Exhale by Amy Carroll and Cheri Gregory. This amazing book is about losing who you’re not, loving who you are, and living your one life well. There are things that I am passionate about for myself, for you, and for women everywhere, and I found them all wrapped up together inside the pages of this book. You’ll walk away with a life-changing look at living life on purpose for God’s glory.

It’s easy to dismiss our dreams and passions and aspirations as things that aren’t really that important. We can lose heart when things seem totally out of our reach, we doubt ourselves, or when we face other types of opposition. 

But remember, no one else can do your dream! 

What is that dream? What are you passionate about? That is how God can shine His light into the world through YOU!

Remember, no one else can do your dream! #dreams #purpose #journeytoimperfect Click To Tweet

I help women release the need to please so that they can find and follow their God-Given passions. Connect with me at leslienewmancoaching.com. 

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This post may be linked in the following places. Click through to find more hope and encouragement!  Cheerleaders of Faith / Sitting Among Friends / Moments of Hope / Salt and Light / Heart Encouragement Thursday / Fresh Market Friday / Faith and Friends  / Grace and Truth