I’ve dreamed of being a published author for as long as I can remember. As a teenager, I wrote angsty poems about love and loss. As a young adult, I wrote a sappy love story inspired by Danielle Steel. When I became a mom and started to study the bible, I began to write about all the things God revealed to me as I read His Word. Over twenty years, I’ve filled dozens of journals, written hundreds of blogs, submitted several articles, and even self-published a thirty-day devotional. Yet as the years passed, I wondered if my God-sized dream of being a published author would ever come true. Was it too big of a dream? Was it even God’s plan for me?
Now, at 54 years old, my first published book may finally become a reality, and I can’t help but wonder what took so long. I’d love to say I never got frustrated with the process and patience came easily, but that’s not true. Waiting is hard and twenty years felt like a really long time. There were whole seasons of life where I set my dream aside, convinced it wasn’t meant to be. But God is faithful and not one journal entry, blog post, or submitted draft was wasted.
If you have a God-sized dream burning in your heart and patience is a struggle, here are a few lessons I’ve learned from the process:
The enemy doesn’t want you to realize the part you play in God’s kingdom.
Ever since he slithered up to Eve in the Garden of Eden, Satan has spent all of human history concocting strategies and whispering lies hoping to sideline the saints. But he’s powerless to stop God’s plans and purposes. When you hear lies like, “You’re not good enough.” Or “Why would God use you?” Replace them with the truth of God’s Word. God doesn’t use any of us because we’re good enough, but by his grace, we are renewed in Christ Jesus to do the good things He planned for us long ago. (Ephesians 2:10)
Sometimes we get in our own way.
Honestly, it’s not always the enemy who sidelines me, sometimes it’s just my lack of intention. Fulfilling a purpose or realizing a dream takes work, and there are so many important things vying for our attention. Amid all that daily life sends our way, we must be intentional about finding the time and putting in the effort to cultivate the passions and talents God gives us. Nothing worth having comes easy. The Israelites spent forty years in the wilderness before they reached the edge of the Promised Land and they had to march around Jericho six times and shout before God finally got rid of the wall. (Joshua 6)
God does so much in the waiting.
It’s wild to think that all the decades we spend on earth are just a tiny speck on the timeline of our existence. We’re concerned with the here and now, but God has eternity in mind. There is a lot of growing to do and many important lessons to learn. We don’t hand over the keys of our car to a teenager until they’ve practiced driving for a while. The same is true for us. We may think we’re equipped and ready to go, but God is protecting us from getting on the road too soon. He’s molding us and growing us so we will be ready to rise to the challenge when we finally get the keys.
As I reflect on this adventure, I know the journey is not complete. For the rest of my life, God will be nurturing dreams and teaching lessons. And as He does, I will do my best to be patient and enjoy the process.
If God has given you a gift, develop it.
If He’s given you a passion, pursue it.
And when He gives you the opportunity, go for it!
