Say hi to Chelsea from the girl who loved to write. She’s a newlywed and aspiring author. A girl with big dreams has some big words for us.
“If you are lucky enough to find a way of life you love, you have to find the courage to live it.”
-John Irving
I stumbled upon that quote a few months ago, and it has inspired me daily ever since. Why? Because it reminded me of something vital. It reminded me that going after your dreams is not all rainbows and butterflies—going after your dreams takes courage.
Do you know that some version of “do not fear” appears in the Bible 365 times? You could definitely call that a theme. It’s clearly a message that God wanted us to understand. And I can’t help but think that when I am looking at the vastness of my dreams, worrying about how I will ever even come close to them, that God is looking down at me, saying, “My Daughter. Do not be afraid.”
God has placed dreams in each of our hearts. He has created us fearfully and wonderfully and beautifully, and the dreams He has given us are a part of that creations.
The dreams that the Creator has placed in your heart are an intricate part of who you are. And God did not create us with dreams so that we could be afraid of them. He did not create us with dreams so that we would ignore those dreams out of fear. He created us with dreams and passions and ideas so that we could go after those things and change the world for Him.
Sometimes dreams are much bigger than us, and that can be scary. There’s no way around that. But that is no reason to fear. The Creator of the entire universe is on your side. He’s the one who created you with those dreams in the first place. When you look at it that way, doesn’t it just seem silly to waste your time being afraid to go after your dreams?
I think that as Christian women, we have a responsibility to pursue our dreams. The world is in need of a group of Jesus lovers coming alive and changing the world, and that only happens once we set aside fear and wholeheartedly pursue the dreams that are rooted in our hearts.
If you don’t pursue your dream, no one else will. If God has called you towards something, and you refuse because you are afraid, who else is going to be able to accomplish that dream the way you would have? No one, because you are uniquely made and so are your dreams.
Today, I pray that you choose to come alive. That if you are living a life without passion, you will rethink that. Jesus came so that we would have abundant life, and I believe that includes our dreams.
“If you are lucky enough to find a way of life you love, you have to find the courage to live it.”
Be brave, my friends. And go boldly after the dreams you have been gifted with.
xo,
Chelsea
