This is me attacking the new year the best way I know how, with caffeine and words.
I got a new word! For those of you that know me well, you might remember that I ask God for a word each year, and the last two years he gave me the word believe. I had never gotten a repeat before which led me to questioning if I had paid attention. I sank my roots into the word believe for two years. I would love to say I will never hesitate to believe God again, but that isn’t true. I will.
I can say that I have formed a habit that I won’t let go of during this time with the word believe. I habitually pray over my belief and I ask God to show me what I am believing. My actions are rooted to my belief, and I am learning to look to the root for treatment. So this year I have a new word, but the word believe is going to be something I keep close and maintain.
My new word for the year is Faithful. In truth I kind of got two words this year. You know I had a word for two years, now I have two words for one year…I can’t seem to just be normal.
My assignment this year: Be faithful and dream. Find the balance.
Faithful, it’s not flashy or trendy. It’s mundane and even a little boring. It’s slow and steady, something our culture denounces. It’s perfect. Faithfulness always adds up. Repetition brings results.
I’ve cautiously held dreams of using the gifts God has given me with words to influence women and families for the kingdom. I have felt God moving, and I’m hearing Him call me to be faithful to that dream. Slow and steady progress that adds up. God alone has definition and timing for the dreams He gives us. I simply want to be faithful with the gift He has been developing in me.
Balance is the key. To stay balanced you must remain focused. So my challenge is to remain faithful in all the aspects that seem little because God is working them into the dream He has for my life. I have to remain content to move forward while only getting glimpses and not complete pictures. I have to keep my attention fixed on God and not the dream itself because God doesn’t just define the dream; He is the dream.
I can’t let my dream overshadow my faithfulness. Faithfulness is tied to fruitfulness. The little faithful choices we make on the daily are the ones that really add up. Obedience in the daily decisions and the mundane days adds up to a fruitful future.
To all the seeds that I have buried and I can’t see, I’m remembering where you were planted. I am going to faithfully water you with prayers. I am going to keep dreaming as I keep faithfully walking where God puts me, spreading seeds. I am going to look to where I have been and remind myself of God’s faithfulness as I see things sprouting. That will fuel the dream of future fruit.
What dream has God given you? Have you stopped being faithful to it? The key to picking it back up isn’t in focusing on the dream, but focusing on the giver of it. Ask Him about His dream for your life, no matter what stage or season you may be in, He has a dream for it.
Be faithful to your God-given dreams, but let your dreams remain faithful to God and seek Him first.