Lately I have been thinking about dreams. Dreams that I had as a little girl, as a young woman and now as someone middle-aged. Some dreams I have definitely out-grown. (Can't say that being a nuclear physicist is still on my radar.) Some dreams were totally unrealistic. (Nope. I will never be an Olympic swimmer.) Yet most of the dreams have/had an element of wanting to impact lives for the better. I have always wanted to "change the world". As a younger person I envisioned and dreamt about a more dramatic way to do so which was more than someone of my ability, resources and standing should and could have.

While I am not discouraged about dreaming large, it seems as if I have come to the age when I have seen more and more impact on the world through just being faithful to God's call. I don't have to come up with a big elaborate plan. I am content to allow my dreams be the ones that God has for me and not the ones that I tell Him that I want. I have finally come to the realization that whatever God has placed in my heart and mind will be impactful if I rely on Him. Small or large.

Most people have dreams. But I wonder if we confuse dreams with fantasies? Fantasies consist of fictional ideas of how people live, respond, think and act. Fantasies by definition are not real and are generally based on a lie. They trap us into thinking life is a certain unreal way and we become obsessed in trying to emulate that falseness. Since the fantasy is completely false and unattainable, it can keep us stuck in the same patterns of behavior and never allow us to grow. Fantasies don't change lives and at its worst, can harm them.

I think dreams are nuggets of truth held in our hearts. Things for which we think, pray and hope are based on what we know to be true about ourselves, what we want our lives to be, and how we imagine our future self. That is why it is so painful when a dream does not come true. A piece of our heart is broken. Not that the dream was or is bad. Everyone should be thinking and hoping for something. But sometimes I think that we are hoping for may be the wrong things. We want to be globally recognized, when it may be more important to be recognized for our character by those closest to us. We want material things when our most precious possession may be our health- a healthy life and healthy relationships. We want power and influence when our greatest impact might be on the person sleeping next to us.

I think dreams are placed in our hearts by God. He knows how we are wired, what makes us tick and what is our future. When we turn over our dreams to Him, it is not that we are giving up, but rather we are submitting to the One who truly has our best in mind. Even more than what we think is "our best" because we have only finite limited understanding. Who wouldn't want the One who is from beginning to end, who knows it all, to be designing how our lives unfold? If any of my literary heroes would sit beside me and guide me in my words you bet I would listen.

I am slowly realizing that if I offer back my dreams to Him, who knows what He will do with it? I am entrusting my little and limited nugget of truth about myself to Him. Kind of like the five loaves, two fishes that the little boy offered to Jesus to feed the crowd. Any logical person would recognize that there was no way that small amount of food would feed thousands of people. Yet in Jesus' hands, that which seems small becomes large and satisfactory.

While I still dream big, I am willing to be content with dreaming small too. Those dreams are also part of what God wants for me. Each day I have the opportunity to impact the world by the way I live life: honoring my words, caring for my family and friends, responding to God's call. Submitting those smaller things to him demonstrates that I trust Him with it all- small and large.

What about you? What were/are your dreams? Are they big or small? Would you classify them as dreams or fantasies? Have you ever turned over your hopes and dreams to God? If so, what happened?

Recently I heard an encouraging song by Josh Wilson. Click here to listen.

It's a momma singing songs about the Lord
It's a daddy spending family time
That the world said he cannot afford
These simple moments change the world
It's a pastor at a tiny little Church
Forty years of loving on the broken and the hurt
These simple moments change the world

Dream small
Don't bother like you've gotta do it all
Just let Jesus use you where you are
One day at a time

Live well
Loving God and others as yourself
Find little ways where only you can help
With His great love
A tiny rock can make a giant fall
Dream small

It's visiting the widow down the street
Or dancing on a Friday with your friend with special needs
These simple moments change the world
Of course, there's nothing wrong with bigger dreams
Just don't miss the minutes on your way, your bigger things, no
'Cause these simple moments change the world

So dream small
Don't bother like you've gotta do it all
Just let Jesus use you where you are
One day at a time

Live well
Loving God and others as yourself
Find little ways where only you can help
With His great love
A tiny rock can make a giant fall
So dream small

Keep loving, keep serving
Keep listening, keep learning
Keep praying, keep hoping
Keep seeking, keep searching
Out of these small things and watch them grow bigger
The God who does all things makes oceans from river

So dream small
Don't bother like you've gotta do it all
Just let Jesus use you where you are
One day at a time

Live well
Loving God and others as yourself
Find little ways where only you can help
With His great love
A tiny rock can make a giant fall
Yeah, five loaves and two fish's could feed them all
So dream small
Dream small

Songwriters: Josh Wilson