Dreaming Beyond Disappointment

Have you ever been there? Things not going as planned? Your vision not panning out the way you thought it would? I think we have all been there at one time or another, and those times can shape not only our perspective and how we respond, but also shape our expectations in the future. 

This past weekend I spent my time at our first PennDel Women REPLENISH Retreat for women’s ministry leaders. It was such a blessing to have that time alongside my team and to see how God was moving in these leaders. I love the vision behind this event! 

Susanne Cox brought a powerful word and something she said stuck with  me - “Don’t lower your expectations to protect your disappointments.” 

Wow. How often have I done that? How often have I lowered my expectations to protect not only my disappointments, but also God’s reputation. He doesn’t need my protection. 

“If I only…” 

“If I had…” 

“If I didn’t...”

These words are the beginning of far too many sentences. It is the beginning of too many thought processes. It is the end of too many dreams, purposes, and untapped potential.

I’ve been guilty of it. Turning my dreams into something that is “practical” in order to one day see them accomplished. I take a great vision and break it down. In the name of being realistic, great dreams become dwarfed goals.

But what if we are just making excuses? I am finding that these “limitations” that we have, be it sickness, circumstances, culture, finances or any other thing – it is merely a mask we wear because our real fear is having no limits.

We keep this mask of inferiority and being bound by our current circumstances that we find our comfort in, and then say, “For me to do _____, it would have to be a move of God. But God is waiting for us to step out in faith and partner with Him. When will we believe that we can do all things through Christ who give us strength? (Philippians 4:13) When will we believe that His strength is made perfect in our weakness? (2 Corinthians 12:9)

As a child we have this ability to create and embrace imaginary places. We have the ability to dream of things that today we would say are crazy, impossible, childish. When a child dreams, the whole world changes. When we dream, we have been conditioned to put on logical, personal, and time limitations.

This is not dreaming, but goal-oriented living.

In the loss of our ability to dream well, we also lose passion to drive us. In our goal-oriented lives we do not live to our fullest potential. Our potential is suffering in our relative state of mind. Instead of our dreams growing, they diminish in a world of realistic possibilities where you are not expected to flourish any more than our born circumstances, culture, and pattern of life.

Are you dreaming in the realm of the untapped potential in you? Or are you living in the “realistic” limitations that society has set for you? 

Your passion is measured by your pursuit. 

What kind of dreams has God planted in your heart? How are you stepping out in faith to see them accomplished?

A God-sized dream requires child-like faith.

Let’s dream with God again today. We will not lower our expectations, and we will trust in His character to see us through when we obey His voice. 

“So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.” Hebrews 10:35-36