The Life of Your Dreams

Our youngest, now nearly 1 year old, enjoying the butterflies and some sunshine at our local botanical garden.

Take a moment to dream with me! It is five years down the road and God has exceeded anything you could have ever imagined...

Specifically, what things have happened?

What roadblocks did you overcome?

What does a day in your life look like?

My pastor challenged me with this exercise about a year ago. I was excited about the idea of dreaming, but putting pen to paper was intimidating because it takes courage to acknowledge our dreams... what if they don't come true?

Acknowledging this fear is important because it has the potential to inhibit us from moving forward. Having accountability to my pastor helped me to overcome that intimidation, and thankfully my husband was excited to do it with me.

At that point in my life, our youngest wasn't even born yet and I felt intimidated about how I would handle life as a mother of three kids under the age of four, let alone how I would continue my pursuit of coaching and writing. The realist in me felt unsure if all these things were even possible.

The next Saturday afternoon, Foster and I opened up our journals and stared at the blank pages, unsure of how to start. But once we got going, it was hard to stop because we had ultimately opened ourselves up to the hope we have in Christ and what he can accomplish with our lives.

When I dreamed about a day in my life five years in the future, I imagined spending the afternoon in the garden with my children. Sipping tea and snacking on macaroons, reciting scripture and reading silly stories and while laughing and rolling around in the grass. Having this dream in my head put a real smile on my face.

We celebrated my 31st birthday last month. As a surprise, my husband brought home sweet treats from a local bakery. We enjoyed an impromptu luncheon in the beautiful weather of our backyard with our children and closest friends. It was a serendipitous gathering that brought my heart so much joy, and I was struck by the truth that my dreams were coming true in that very moment. So many of my doubts had dissolved over the last year and I was experiencing the quality of life that sometimes only felt real in my notebook.

Dreams can be big, they can be small. Growth takes time, seasons of preparation and transitions are real. If something feels to big to start, make your next step smaller, make it achievable.

Follow the example of our precious 10-month old, Elijah. Spend today building up your strength and celebrate your wins, He can stand up by himself to smell the flowers and laugh with the butterflies. When it's finally time to walk, or to run, he will be prepared and have confidence that he's ready to try, even if he still falls sometimes.

Embracing the gift of time helps you to be present and joyful in the moment as well as excited for what the future holds. When you look back, my prayer is that you will have a profound sense of gratitude towards the progress you have made and the things that you have learned.

I want this experience for you! What accountability, community and courage do you need to allow yourself to dream? I'm excited for you to put pen to paper and see what happens!