Dreaming God’s Way: Four Ways to Fulfill Your Dreams

A little girl in her Disney princess outfit with wand in hand crawls into her dad’s lap. He, seeing her excitement of watching the Disney princesses on the screen, makes her a promise, “One day we will go to Disney.” Her eyes light up knowing magical moments await.

Time goes by, but the promise is never filled. Ravaged with cancer, the father can only guess what his daughter’s eyes would see and heart would feel as she witnessed the beauty of her happiest place on earth. And the daughter could only imagine what it would be like for her father’s hand to twirl her down Main Street. It seemed like a dream lost. Except, dreams really do come true.

Dreams

 I want you to think of a dream you have experienced being fulfilled. Now, take a moment, close your eyes and let that feeling of hearing the words you longed for, the sights you hoped to see, and/or the experience of those moments blanket you. Can you feel it again? You may even be able to recall the weather that day, what you were wearing, the people near you. There is an amazing feeling that encompasses us when a dream we have envisioned comes true. And it is not easily forgotten.

 One of my dreams that was fulfilled was the dream of Disney. This may seem like a very materialistic type of dream, but it was the one promise my father could not fulfill. Not because he did not want to, but because cancer did not permit him to. At forty, I decided to make this dream come true. With some family, we traversed the world of Disney. It was AMAZING. I was forty, but I was also the little girl living the promise her dad made.

 Fast forward almost ten years, and another family trip to Disney occurred. This time with whole family! It too was amazing. It was so much fun to watch the excitement of grandkids and the big kids (AKA adults) enjoy the sights, sounds, and magic of Disney. And even at almost fifty, I walked into the park thinking, “I made here again, dad.” I did not just think of my dad though; I also thanked God for this dream come true not only for being able to experience Disney, but also experiencing belonging of family.

 Lessons Learned

 1)    God cares about all our dreams

It may seem sacrilegious to some to think God would care about me going to Disney. But why would he not care? God knows what this dream meant for me on so many levels. This was not a frivolous dream for me. This was a redemption dream. This was a dream of belonging and experiencing family at its fullest.

Job reminds us of dreams lost and redeemed. He was faced the devastation of losing his family, his wealth, and more. We read of his struggle through this event, and all the not so helpful advice received from friends through his struggle. But the ending is not as the beginning. It is even more. “And the Lord restored the fortunes of Job…And the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before” (Job 42:10). God restored not only the man of Job, but also his animals and his family. God redeemed the man and the dream.

 2)    We must surrender our dreams

God does care about all our dreams, our desires, no matter how big or small because he cares about us. While this is true, he also gives us instruction on what to do with those desires. Psalm 37:4 is often quoted in relation to dreams/desires, “Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” Yes, he will. However, we often stop with that verse and forget about verse 5.

Psalm 37:5 states, “Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act.” We can dream, but we also must surrender that dream, that desire, and His time he will deliver the fulfillment of our dream. Matthew 6:33 also gives instruction, “Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you.” Even in our dreams, our desires, we still must seek first his kingdom and his righteousness. When we do this first, then we will see dreams and desires fulfilled as God desires them to be filled.

 3)    Be available for the shift

 Sometimes our dreams do not align with God’s will. I did not get to go to Disney at 4, 14, 24, but at 40. There was a lot in between that I had to do, that God had to do in me before I could even handle that fulfilled dream. And, ultimately, this dream along with many others I had, I accepted that God may shift my desires if they did not align with his will. That is a hard task! Letting go of our dreams and desires into the hands of someone else knowing they may shift can be a grieving process. But one we must endure to dream as God does.

Mark Batterson in his book Circle Maker asks, “What is the bravest prayer you have prayed?” A very thought provoking question. Mine has been, and continues to be, “Father, your will be done.” Do I want to let go of the desires of my heart? Not always. I can be like a little child having a temper tantrum when letting them go. However, I have also learned that following God’s will, allowing him to shift my dreams is where I witness a birth of new and exciting dreams/desires. I must let go of one to take hold of another. It is here that I experience, “God had power to do what he had promised” (Romans 4:21).

 4)    Give Thanks

 If you have ever watched children open a present they so desperately wanted, you may have not heard a “thank you” because they were so engrossed in whatever the present was. You may also have witnessed no “thank you” when something was received that did not meet their expectation. The same can be said of us.

How often do we say “thank you” for what has been received and not been received? How often do we give thanks in general? We often give thanks when things are going well, but when the carpet is ripped out from under us, giving thanks is often not the first act that comes to mind. But what if it was?

 1 Thessalonians 5:17-18 states, “Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus” (emphasis mine). Paul does not say being thankful in all things, and it will be easy. Sometimes we are thankful and sad; thankful and doubtful; thankful and scared. We can be both. Regardless, though, of our sadness, fear, and doubt, we must also be thankful. In doing so, we allow God to show us redemption, hope, peace, and more.

Final Thoughts 

Dreaming is a beautiful gift God has given us. However, to dream bravely, to dream big, we need to be obedient to surrender those dreams, give those desires back to God. When we do so, we give space for God to offer us dreams we never thought imaginable! We have an opportunity to experience “…him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think…” (Ephesians 3:20).