I read this quote from Butch’s inbox the other day “A vision without action is a daydream. An action without a vision is a nightmare…” It reminded me to never stop working on my dreams no matter how impossible I think it is. Both Darlene Zschech and Bo Sanchez (two of the most inspiring persons I know) highly recommend writing down your dreams. I think this is logical because it will help you focus on what you want. It gives you proper direction thus preventing you from putting effort on things you don’t really want.
Now I shall write my own down…
• To be the best wife
• To be the best mother
• To travel in England and China
• To maintain a blog that will inspire others to have genuine relationship with Jesus. Thus this blog.
• To have an English cottage and an English garden (of course in England) I’ve always daydreamed of picking flowers in a beautiful English garden as a child.
And for the really challenging one…
• To create a ministry that will dramatically change the lives of street children and street dwellers in Cubao (the town where my church is located).
The book “Being Happy” states this “you gravitate in the direction of your dominant thoughts…” meaning you literally attract what you think about constantly. So it is helpful to write your goals and to think about it always.
I noticed that stories of spiritual giants in the Bible starts with a vision, dream or a promise from God. And that would be the start of their great adventure with the Him. Abraham was promised an entire nation of descendants; Joseph had dreams of becoming an important ruler, and Moses was destined to lead the Israelites out of slavery.
If you don’t have a dream, start with what you love doing. If you dedicate this to God and do it for His Glory alone, He will equip you in fulfilling it. God planted a dream in your heart that matches your natural abilities. He knows you inside out. Before you were even born, He already knew what your dreams will be.
Once, I racked my brain about what I really wanted to do in life. I wanted so much for my goals to be aligned to His. That time, I was feeling dissatisfied with my job and strongly felt that the Lord was calling me to do something else. So I resigned, prayed, fasted, read my Bible, and meditated desperately wanting an answer. He didn’t for a long time until one day He simply said “Tell me what YOU WANT and we will work on it TOGETHER…” What?! I was expecting a specific action. However, He asked me to follow my heart and do what I WANTED and even said that WE WILL WORK ON IT TOGETHER!!
When we dedicate our dreams to God, We become PARTNERS with Him in building His kingdom after all as John 15:15 says “I no longer call you servants… Instead, I have called you friends…” Isn’t that amazing!
A warning though, fulfilling your dream will entail getting out of your comfort zone and taking risks. It requires faith and trusting God. Abraham left his comfortable homeland to obey God in search of this unknown promise land. Nevertheless, he trusted the Lord. The bigger your dream the greater faith it requires.
Start Small. But think big.
No matter how small, do something that will contribute in accomplishing it. Start with something really doable for you. Then follow it up with another action then another. If you do this and commit it, you’ll be surprised how far it will take you one step at a time closer to your dream. I know creating the ministry for street dwellers will be a huge task requiring great skill and effort. But starting small, I am going to interview a social worker that deals with street dwellers and do some volunteer work. From there I will do another action based on what I’ve learned.
What I mentioned are just SOME of my dreams. But let me tell you what the biggest is … making my God smile everyday and to be remembered as a person who LOVED and fought for LOVE when I leave this world. Because there is absolutely no point if all my dreams would come true if I have not loved at all.
So what are you waiting for? Write down your dreams (be really specific! It helps), dedicate it to the Lord, think about it constantly and start doing something about it. Stop dreaming and as Nike’s ad says “JUST DO IT”
Monday, March 3, 2008
A vision without action is a daydream. Stop dreaming. Just do it.
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14 comments:
Such a great post. You have a very beautiful writing style. I hope the Lord continues to help you to dream big dreams. I also hope He makes those dreams come true.
Many times I have things I want to do and I pray that God will either help me realize that dream or to change my dream to fit His will. Either way, I want to please and glorify Him. :-)
What a postive blog! Thanks for coming by my blog and posting a comment!
sometimes it's difficult to define what we want in life. i ask for signs (for guidance)but i guess i don't know how to read or look for them.
This is so true. We must never forget to not only dream, but to follow up on it. Faith in a dream is completely useless without works. At the same time, we have to keep hoping...always hoping.
1 Corinthians 13 (the famous love chapter) ends with the statement "These three remain: faith, hope, and love. The greatest of these is love."
Lots of people remember the faith and the love...but forget that hope is also one of the most important things.
Thanks for keeping up with an awesome blog!
"Without a vision, people will perish..." Proverbs 29:18.
Yes, vision is so important, as indicated by this verse in scripture. We as people have the natural tendency to stray away from God via our thought processes. Because of that, it's vital that we keep his Word before our eyes and hidden in our hearts so that our thoughts are guided by Him and His Word. That way, our goals, dreams, and visions are certain to be guided from above. Without vision, we will just toss about in life to and fro, here and there, like a boat on a wave - without any REAL direction or purpose.
I LOVE Darlene! Isn't she awesome?! I am a worship leader at church (music ministry) and another leader in our group just returned from 2 years in Austrailia in worship school at Hillsong, so I have had firsthand knowledge of that ministry and Darlene! What a blessing! My friend told me she is SOOO annointed and authentic, and my friend was actually given the opportunity to remian at Hillsong to become one of their worship leaders for the children's ministry (her calling in life). It was very tempting for her to not accept the offer, but it didn't line up with the vision God had given her for ministry here in the states, so she declined.
As for me, I LOVE leading a worship service; there's nothing like having the God-given ability to lead a congregation to the very throne of Grace through praise and worship... EXCEPT leading the lost to Christ! And that, my friend is MY vision. Through the years, God has revealed to me that my heart's cry really is in being able to minister to the LOST in life whether it's through written word, casual conversation, or music. It doesn't matter to me what method is used to eventually bring them to the knowledge of the truth, as long as the end result is that they end up at His feet.
He has revealed to me that ministry in a secular society is of the hardest type - why? Because it requires the strength and steadfastness that few Christians can endure... it's a cold, hard world out there and a lost and lonely people. All people REALLY want, is to be LOVED; not always in the right ways (and they use a variety of things to substitute for the love of God that is missing in their lives) but deep down, on the inside where it counts, we all have a basic need to be loved and accepted - just as we are! And THAT is what I want to bring to the world as I demonstrate through the lifestyle I lead and example I set; that God has LOVE to offer to a dying world... love... plain and simple, uncomplicated... acceptance - come as you are... you are all welcomed.
Such a powerful concept - and so SIMPLE!
=)
hey kimba gurl! what a wonderful comment. Thanks soooo much. I was so encouraged!!! Yes. we all need to reach out to the lost those who need love. Jesus Himself reached out to them when he was here. He is to be our example. Wow! that was sooo cool of your friend. But I guess when you know what God's vision is for you, its not hard to refuse offers like that because you know His plan is the best. Thanks Kimba =) God bless you
Hmm, nice blog you have here. I am a Christian as well and you can call me Ate Mathe. I live in England and so if you have plans to travel here someday, let me know.
I have a heart for street kids in the Philippines as well so it would be nice to collaborate with you.
What a wonderful post. You hit it spot on with talking about your spiritual walk. That is one of my dreams and my main focuses now. I look forward to reading more. I would also like to invite you to join me and others in a prayer chain for my mom. You can read about it under Prayers For Mom on my blog. Thanks and God bless.
Hi Wendy,
Thanks so much for your comment. I agree with you on writing down goals and focusing on what I desire... However, it gets overwhelming when there are so many areas that needs to be changed. I'll try to stay positive. Thanks again. :)
I hope you can establish that street ministry- what an awesome goal! One of my daughters was involved with a street ministry team in Pittsburgh, Pa. and she loved every minute of it. She now teaches at the Bible College she attended near there.
Your love for the Lord and your passion for doing His will absolutely shine through your writing.
I'm going to add you to my Friends page on my main blog, where I know you will be a wonderful influence on those who come to visit.
It is very wise to write down your dreams. They are all very achievable if you will just put your heart and soul to it. Your dream of putting up a ministry for street children in Cubao is very laudable and praiseworthy. May the Lord grant you this wish. Got your name from Link Referral. Could we exchange links? I will be linking you with my blog. I hope you do the same with mine. Thanks for the very inspiring post. God bless you, your family and ministry always.
Hei there! SO true :) I wish you all the best in your dreams. I pray that they will ALL come true one day. Keep shining for Jesus!
You are absolutely right. Actions should have direction and significance in order to make the greatest impact in your life and the lives of those you know. I write down all of my goals and dreams, and try to live accordingly. Great post. I love your blog.
Excellent. As someone said, "The difference between a dream and a goal is the plan." Sounds like you are really formulating those plans!
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