Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.
Hebrews 12:1
Wherever we are in our dreaming journeys, it’s important to simplify our lives down to the roles and dreams He has specifically planned for us. When we don’t, our dreaming journey quickly becomes a stressful and distracted one.
Looking to God to Clarify Your Roles
Simplifying is a beautiful thing. We all know the feeling of clarity that comes when we declutter our closets or purses or cars. We function better because we can find what we need easily and quickly. In our dreaming journeys, we often take on more roles, jobs, obligations, and activities than God intends for us to carry. As a result, we need to simplify our lives down to God’s best plans and dreams for us. When we do, we thrive in the roles and dreams He has created for us.
A ballet dancer is constantly trying to cut out the bad habits in her dancing in order to dance her best. All the extras that naturally creep into a dancer’s technique become distracting to the audience, taking away from the beauty and simplicity of clean ballet technique. When a dancer focuses on only the essentials of proper technique, her dancing reaches new heights. Just as extra wiggles and bobbles in a dancer’s ballet technique take away from her dancing, when our lives become overloaded with extra responsibilities, distractions, comparing thoughts, or information overload, these things keep us from thriving in the roles and dreams God has for us.
Mr. Truman Finney, one of my ballet teachers, gave me a clear picture of the need for simplicity in my dancing—and, really, in my everyday life. Mr. Finney quickly became one of my favorite teachers because of his quiet nature, his smile that meant you were doing something right, and the way he respected the art of ballet. He would simplify the music down to just the chords of the piano and the snapping of his fingers.
Mr. Finney loved horses (be still, my heart!) and compared our technique and training to the beauty of a style of horseback riding called “dressage,” which means “horse ballet.” The horse holds its head beautifully and is completely attentive to the rider. The rider directs and guides the horse with a light nudge or by putting slight pressure on the horse’s bridle to guide the horse in every detail, including which foot the horse should put forward. The horse’s steps are organized and clean—there are no extra bobbles or steps. Mr. Finney wanted us to “cut away” or “cut out” all the extra stuff from our dancing. Habits such as checking the mirror, unnecessary fidgeting, and wiggling to get into position needed to go. The placement of our feet and arms had to be exact, precise, and clear-cut. This focus on simplicity led to growth. I grew stronger, and I enjoyed the effort of simplifying. Although it may sound restrictive, focusing on the basics of my technique and cutting out all the extra distractions and bad habits was freeing. Staying in those boundaries of the technique I knew, just as a horse stays within the boundaries of its bridle, freed me up to get stronger and become a cleaner dancer. Mr. Finney passed away not too long ago, and I will always feel indebted to him for helping me grow as a dancer.
In life, often we default to answering yes after yes after yes, without really seeking God about our yeses. Our stress and fast pace keep us from thriving, making life frustrating and overwhelming. God wants to ease our load by helping us realize that less is more. He wants to do some maintenance within us to realign our hearts with His. He knows my capacity and my schedule—He knows it all. While I go running off like the wind trying to handle too much, juggle it all, and add even more things to my life, He’s quietly waiting for me to seek Him in everything. He loves to help me live well. He loves to help me sort things out to keep me from spreading myself too thin. My default mode is to try to do too many things. He protects me from my own good intentions. Sometimes when something doesn’t work out the way I want it to, I have to trust God has a simpler plan in mind and find the beauty in simplicity.
His Best Assignments
Part of dreaming with God is simplifying our lives down to His very best assignments for us.
We make room for God’s very best assignments for us by looking to Him to define and clarify our roles. Just as a ballet dancer dances many roles throughout her dancing days, we as women live out various roles in our lives. We juggle this dance of being different things at different times to different people. Over the years, my roles in life have been ballet dancer, ballet teacher, wife, mom, writer, speaker, daughter, sister, friend, and volunteer. Add in cook, carpool driver, housekeeper, and errand runner and you get the idea—life gets busy and full. But sometimes when we spread ourselves too thin trying to fulfill different roles, we miss out on living out the roles God really wants us to hone in on. So how do we know what roles we should focus on? We bring all of them to God and ask God for guidance. He nudges us toward His best for us.
I have felt God’s simplifying nudges in my own dreaming journey many times. My three precious boys have my heart completely, and God has nudged my heart time after time to keep my life as simple as possible so that I can thrive in motherhood and have the energy to love them well. Learning to discern how many roles I can juggle with motherhood has been a process for sure. During some seasons, I attempted to dance, teach ballet, write, volunteer at the boys’ school, and be Mom all at the same time. While it was fun, I often felt spread too thin. God would nudge my heart as if to say, “It’s okay, Sarah. You don’t have to do it all and be it all. It’s okay to simplify.” Looking back, I see that God’s nudges to simplify are always to the benefit of my own sense of peace and well-being, my family, and my relationship with Him. Simplifying down to God’s best assignments helps us thrive in the roles and dreams God has for us.
Our roles will shift and change throughout our lives, and we navigate those shifts by bringing them to God. He steers with His nudges. He clarifies. Sometimes He nudges through the excitement we feel for a role, but often He nudges through the dread we feel for a role. There will be times when we feel obligated to do something or be someone that’s not really in line with God’s best for us. We can take that sense of dread we feel to the Lord, and oftentimes, we will see He is doing clarifying work.
Understanding Your Capacity
Part of simplifying our lives down to God’s best is understanding our capacities. Some of us function well when our lives are busy and full of activity, and some of us get totally overwhelmed juggling too many things. We figure out where we land on the spectrum through trial and error, and God delights in helping us learn how we are wired.
Do you flourish in busyness or do you wilt? Are you inspired by a full calendar or do you get completely overwhelmed? Here’s the thing: our capacities are different because we are all uniquely wired. God wants us to operate within our unique capacities. When we do this, we have the energy and time to live exactly as God has called us to.
One way to learn what our capacities are and how to live within them is by bringing our calendars to God, weighing our decisions carefully, and learning to say no. God wants in on our everyday lives because every day is part of the sweet dance of dreaming with Him. He wants us to weigh our decisions carefully through prayer so we have the energy, time, and space to pursue Him and the dreams and roles He has for us. He wants us to know we don’t have to say yes to everything, and He helps us graciously say no when we need to.
All this simplifying down to God’s best means letting go of our do-it-all mentalities so we can operate in true peace, joy, and strength. Simplifying down to God’s best is deciphering His roles, schedules, and pursuits for us. Sometimes the process includes letting go of a role and sometimes it involves stepping out into a new role. That’s the dance of getting to God’s best. It isn’t always pretty, but the clarifying we experience is worth it.
When I prune my life down to doing only the things that I truly feel God has guided me to do, my heart dances its dance seemingly right in tune with God—as if I’m in that perfect spot of the sweetest dance He made for me and Him. My human tendency is to add on extra activities and commitments and projects and ideas, but when I rest in the fact that I don’t need more to do than God’s perfect dance for me, my soul dances, my life feels simpler, and my joy overflows. When we simplify our lives down to His best, we flourish in the dreams He has for us.
As we come to this place of simplifying our lives down to God’s best, we have more capacity to thrive in the roles and dreams He has for us. With a clear focus on God, we dance our dreaming dances with a beautiful sense of purpose and the deep comfort of knowing who we are in Him.
The secret to thriving in the roles and dreams God has for us is releasing comparison, tuning out distractions, staying inspired, and cultivating gratefulness.
Breaking Free from Comparison Mode
The ballet studio, the playground, the soccer field, the mall, the grocery store, the party, the baby shower . . . you name it, people are comparing themselves to others. It’s natural for us to do this, but it can also do great damage to our lives. In fact, I believe it’s one of the biggest obstacles to our living out joy-filled, abundant lives and following the dreams God has for us.
In these situations where we compare how we measure up to others, we’re left feeling not good enough, not pretty enough, not wealthy enough, not “together” enough . . . the list goes on and on. Our comparing ways wreak havoc on our dreaming hearts.
I often felt the temptation to compare myself to the other dancers the minute I walked into the ballet studio. The floor-to-ceiling mirrors did not help ward off this temptation either. I secretly hoped that the mirrors would magically make me look better than I did the day before. Maybe today would be the day I would watch myself dance and think, Wow! You’re a beautiful dancer! Don’t change a thing! But no, my reflection only stared back at me self-consciously and sometimes even attempted to convince me to quit dancing. After I slipped on my ballet shoes and did some stretches and sit-ups to warm up, I would try to remember to get my focus right.
This helped for a moment or two. I would often start out feeling good about my dancing and my body, but the second I saw a dancer performing better or looking better, my self-confidence would slowly crouch lower and lower. I could walk into class feeling gung ho and confident but finish feeling defeated and on the verge of throwing my pointe shoes out the window. Why? Because I let it all get to me? Yes. But more important, I realize now that I was focused more on how I measured up to others instead of appreciating how God made me. By constantly comparing myself to other dancers, I was wandering way off track from my dreaming journey.
God wants to keep you on track so you can rest in His truths that you are one of a kind to Him and that His roles and dreams for your life are one of a kind. It may feel like others have the exact same dreams or plans that you do. In the world’s eyes, it may appear as if your dreams are common, or you might question your purpose because it feels like you’re a carbon copy of another woman. At times you may feel simply . . . like a normal gal—not an extraordinary one. But please remember you are extraordinary to God. You are incredibly unique to God.
When you fall into this comparison mode (which will come and go), when you question yourself because you see others who seem more fit, more talented, more qualified, more whatever it is, hold on to this truth: God assigns you to your calling because it’s the perfect fit for you. Recognize when you’re starting to compare yourself to others. Acknowledge when you’re starting to emotionally slide downhill because you’re losing your confidence. And know that if you do feel yourself slipping, God will be there to catch you and lift you up.
As God brings you back to the joy of keeping your focus on Him and the callings He has for you, He will help you celebrate others in their unique callings. During the challenging moments when you feel yourself wondering if you’re special, if you have anything to offer to the world, if God will use you, let your heart be sensitive to others around you who might feel the same way. Be the one to encourage another woman in her dreams. Be the one to remind her that God will guide her too. That He has unique plans for her life. Encouraging others in their callings is a beautiful part of dreaming with God.
One summer my husband whisked me away with him to California on a work trip. While he was finishing up a meeting, I sat in a hotel lobby and dove into my current writing project, which included writing this chapter about comparison. A water feature stood in the middle of the room, holding tall statues of angelesque women grouped in pairs. They were all holding up huge bowls of water that trickled down into a large pool. No one statue was prettier than the others. They were all on even ground, holding up the water together. Watching that beautiful water feature, I realized that, like the statues, we, as daughters of Christ, are all needed to hold up the Living Water so it can flow out to the people who need it. It occurred to me what an honor it is to be used by the Source to offer up His water to thirsty souls. When we dream with God, He uses us in our own unique ways to bring His Living Water to those around us. He doesn’t have to use us, but He wants to. He has such an abundance of holy water to get to thirsty souls that He needs many messengers. Our work as His messengers is ultimately what our call to dream with Him is all about. But when we get caught up in comparing ourselves to others, the flow of His Living Water slows.
Comparison depletes our hearts, leaving us with less enthusiasm, energy, efficiency, and excitement for our callings. It robs us of our kingdom purposes. Every day is a battle to keep our hearts glued to Jesus. We make a million little choices regarding where we will focus our energy. I long to focus on God and His mission and dreams for me instead of piddling away potentially great moments because I’m consumed with comparing myself to others. I don’t want to be the funny woman statue whose bowl is tipped over and empty because she is too busy peering over at her gal statue friends, wishing she were them. I don’t want to miss out on becoming all that God created me to be because I’m so focused on who someone else is becoming and how she compares to me. Comparison loses its grip on us when we see that we’re actually working together as a whole for His kingdom. Sometimes just recognizing when we are in comparison mode, noting its damaging effect and pausing to let God center us back on Him, helps us fully break free from it.
This idea of re-centering makes me think of ballet class. One of the most vital benefits of class is how it centers the dancer both physically and mentally. Sometimes when I entered the studio, my body felt sore, tight, weak, and tired. I would not have dreamed of throwing on my tutu and pointe shoes in that physical state because my body was not properly warmed up. In addition, mentally, I was not in an enthusiastic place because of my sore, aching muscles. Hopping into a full day of rehearsal with a bad attitude was never a good idea. To be prepared for the full load of rehearsals ahead for the day, I needed to center my thoughts back to a good place, remembering that I was doing what I loved despite the fact that my body hurt.
Upon stepping into the studio to begin my warm-up routine, I started to feel myself becoming more centered physically and mentally. Before class began, I would get cozy in my favorite warm-up attire, find a spot at the barre, and begin to warm up my body. I loved to put on my headphones and do some stretching and conditioning to wake up my muscles. Typically, I jammed to my praise and worship music because I could use all the help I could get to center my thoughts and my heart on God’s truth in those moments when I was tired, sore, or slipping into comparison mode. As the music poured into my ears, the weight of negative thoughts began to lift, and I remembered God was with me. There was no need to compare dancing abilities or body shapes; instead I could just enjoy the gift of dancing.
After some abdominal and inner-thigh exercises, I usually moved on to an easy set of push-ups, which got my blood flowing and my heart rate up. Last, I did all kinds of stretches that prepared my muscles to work hard and helped prevent injuries. As I went through this process, my muscles became engaged and my mind began to drift into a peaceful zone of concentration. Also, my heart and attitude were in a good place again after focusing on God instead of the comparison trap. It was a wonderful feeling!
When class began and the teacher started to lead us through each combination of pliés, tendues, dégagés, and ronds de jambe (or rootie toos, as my husband likes to call them) at the barre, my body would begin to lengthen and strengthen. My muscles loosened up and became more flexible as I found my center of gravity. This was a process, but it was so incredible to feel centered, long, tall, and grounded all at the same time. After barre, we moved to the center of the studio. At this point we had to depend fully on our center of gravity by engaging our core abdominal muscles and lengthened bodies from all the preparation at the barre. After an entire class, we were centered, properly warmed up, and ready for rehearsals and performances.
Like ballet class centers a dancer for a rehearsal day or performance, Christ centers all of us for the big stage of everyday life. No matter the comparing thoughts racing through our minds, we can always turn to Him. Remember that spending time with Jesus is how we find the nurturing, encouragement, joy, and fulfillment we need to thrive in the roles and dreams He has just for us. When we feel depleted, we can seek Him. He will set our hearts, thoughts, and emotions right again, leaving us feeling refreshed, ready, and rejuvenated.
Just as dancers finish class feeling energized, strong, centered, and ready to perform, Christ energizes, strengthens, and centers us. The remedy for switching out of comparison mode is staying centered on Christ. He keeps us there. He reins us in when we drift. He signals a little alarm in our hearts when we are wandering off. We will always be tempted to take our eyes and hearts off the Lord, but with His help, we can remain fixated on Him. He loves us so personally that He tugs on our hearts to keep them tightly woven to His. As He centers us and helps us break free from comparison mode, we grow strong and grounded in our roles.
Tuning Out Distractions and Tuning In to God
Another way that we thrive in our roles is by tuning out distractions and guarding our hearts. We must filter what comes into our minds and hearts on a daily, moment-by-moment basis. What’s coming into your mind and heart each day? Here are some examples from my own life:
Lists. To-do lists, grocery lists, reminders, dates, and on and on (lots of sticky notes going on in my house).
Information overload. Emails, newsfeeds from Facebook and Instagram, news on the TV, or a good read from another blogger.
Requests and pressure to make quick decisions. Opportunities to volunteer and invitations to birthday parties, showers, and school events, which produce feelings of guilt if I have to say no to these requests. (Ugh!)
Mindless distraction. Checking my phone for interesting stuff, including texts (which I love because they are usually from family members and friends) and emails (again).
Unbridled thoughts and worries. Not mature enough, not pretty enough, not a good enough mom, not a good enough wife, not skinny enough, not this, not that . . . you know the drill. Worrying about this thing and that thing and this person and that situation. My thought patterns can wear me out.
Discontentment. Looking around and suddenly having a strong desire for that new purse/leotard/dress/haircut because I feel not enough.
What do all these lists, requests, information, and thoughts do to our hearts? Personally, I feel myself sinking ever so slightly emotionally into a web of distraction. This sinking is subtle and slowly robs me of joy and peace. Each new, unfiltered thought or piece of information that piles onto my already heavy load pushes me deeper into stress, anxiety, and an overall feeling of inner turmoil. These distractions squander my contentment, causing me to feel fragmented and lost. I feel numb to life. I lose my footing and start to question and even forget my purpose and the value of my roles as a mom, wife, dancer, or writer. It doesn’t feel good. My thoughts vanish in a vast cloud of information, putting me into a funk. When I’m distracted, it’s as though I’m too distracted to keep dancing forward. Life feels like a list rather than a dance.
I love my cell phone, but I often feel it’s a distraction from my walk with God and dancing in the direction of the dreams God is leading me in. When I find myself a bit too preoccupied with my little device, I know it by the way my heart starts to feel more and more on empty. It’s funny, because I will see technology take over too much in the lives of my kiddos before I see it in my own life. They don’t have phones yet, but they have devices to play games on and television, of course. This past summer, our family headed to Missouri for family camp. On our annual date night at a local Mexican restaurant (yes, this gal has a heart for guacamole and chips), the topic of our kids’ technology use seemed to burst from my heart and land right in Brian’s lap.
I was so tired of battling with my boys about how much screen time was enough—or too much. I knew the answer was not to ban technology completely, although, if Brian had suggested that, I would have been on board, I think. As Brian and I started to discuss the issue, we realized we hadn’t laid down any firm boundaries for the boys. They didn’t know when they were allowed to play a game on a device or to watch a show. So we came up with some rules about when they were allowed to use their devices.
We were both kind of hesitant to announce these new rules to our boys because we were afraid they would see us as “mean Mommy and Daddy.” But when we came home from dinner, we took a couple deep breaths and laid out the new boundaries—and guess what? The boys got excited, dare I even say giddy! Having boundaries freed them up to enjoy their technology without being tied to it and without getting in trouble when they used it. We were a little skeptical of their excitement, but we put our little plan into place and I’m so happy to report that they are thriving in it. They know their boundaries, as do Brian and I, and it’s no longer a tiresome battle. Of course, it’s not perfect either, but it’s much better. I know technology use will be an ongoing discussion as they grow older, but this situation taught me about the goodness of boundaries and an unplugged life.
As I’ve watched my boys thrive amid these new technology boundaries, I’ve had many aha moments regarding my own technology use. Plain and simple, I feel closer to God, my husband, and my boys when I’m fully present. Also, I feel more in my own dreaming journey when I’m not scrolling through a newsfeed. In other words, an unplugged life helps me thrive in the roles and dreams God has given me.
So God and I do this dance of laying down some boundaries for my own heart. I find that the more I stay in the boundaries that work for me, the more peaceful I feel and the less I have to battle distraction. And it feels so good! So much good information is available at our fingertips, but I know I have to be careful not to overwhelm my mind with too much because I become disconnected from my life, God’s good purposes for me, and even God Himself.
Unplugging truly slows us down and helps us get right back in tune with God and embrace who we are and where God has us. Answering the call on our lives to dream with God requires that we be incredibly in tune with Him. A great step toward tuning in to God is tuning out all our distractions and devices and immersing ourselves in Scripture, making room for quiet moments of prayer and stillness before the Lord.
God’s Word and presence fill us like nothing else can. He satisfies any hunger inside us for purpose, comfort, and encouragement. His Word guides our hearts and thoughts and reminds us that we are His daughters. God clears the fog of information overload as we turn away from our distractions and toward Him. He de-stresses our souls as we look solely to Him. When we drink in His Word and linger with Him in moments of prayer and stillness, our hearts grow more in tune with Him and to His dreams for us.
Below are a few simple and practical ideas for tuning out distractions.
Rewire our habits. We set ourselves up for distraction when we have a momentary lull in life. Maybe it’s waiting in the carpool line or at the doctor’s office or being stuck in traffic. The only thing interesting in our purses is our phones, so we pull them out and scroll, scroll, scroll, check, check, check. Lots of information weaves through our minds all at once, feeding our stress. Our in-between moments end up depleting us instead of filling us. But instead we can choose to rewire our habits so that those lulls in life become life-giving. We can try keeping a Bible, Scripture verses on index cards, or a devotional book in our purses. Then we can reach for those instead of our phones during those in-between moments. Or we can use those moments to linger with God in prayer and stillness. We can check in with Him instead of checking our phones. (I know that’s much easier said than done!)
Set boundaries. We can avoid distraction by setting boundaries for when we check the news and our email and social media. Figure out what time of day works best for you, commit to a time frame, and then be done with it. Also, keep your phone and computer in a place where you’re not constantly walking past them so you will not be tempted to check them outside your set time frame. If you notice that following certain people or accounts on social media causes you to feel less-than or stirs up discontentment, guard your heart by choosing to unfollow them. Otherwise, comparison rears its icky head easily, as we talked about before, and keeps you from flourishing in your roles.
Declare a fast. There is something freeing about taking a total break from social media or email or whatever it is that’s distracting you from your life. Taking a break, whether it’s for a few hours, a day, a weekend, a week, or a couple of months, gives your soul and heart space to feast on the presence of God, soak in His Word more deeply, and enjoy His company more fully. In addition, we grow more in tune to the gift of our lives and the gifts of the people around us. When we recognize that our souls are growing more and more depleted from our distractions, we would be wise to give them a rest by declaring a fast. When we unplug, our hearts plug back into God, and hearts plugged into God are hearts enjoying abundant life.
When we tune out distractions and put God’s presence and Word first in our lives, we thrive, staying on course with His dreams for us.
I often sit between this tension of wanting to live out God’s dreams for me with great gusto and confidence and feeling discouraged because I’m distracted. So instead of moving forward in my dreams and living my daily life with intention, I sit stuck in between. God always seems to share His truths with me when I get to this tense place and reminds me to let go of my distracted ways. He wakes me up and helps me take on my dreams and my daily life with new inspiration as I curl in close to Him through His Word. He wants to do the same for all of us. He is our Helper and Counselor in all things, even in this battle to overcome the distractions of this world.
Staying inspired is another important key to us thriving in our roles and the dreams God has for us. Sometimes our dreaming hearts just plain forget about the beauty of our unique dreams. On the days we lose a bit of our zeal, we need a little reminder to keep us stepping toward our dreams. Staying inspired keeps our hearts on course.
When I was dancing, one of the somewhat silly ways I stayed inspired was to ask my mom and dad for new leotards for my birthday. (Dancers, you get this!) I should mention I did this well into my thirties. New leotards made me giddy and excited to get back into the studio. Wearing something different than my usual go-to rehearsal wardrobe brought a freshness and newness to my dancing dream. (Thank you, Mom and Dad.)
Another way I stayed inspired during my dancing years was to watch the performance videos that my dad and Brian had recorded. Something about seeing the whole process come together into the performance kept my heart inspired and motivated on the much less glamorous rehearsal days. It reminded me that the opportunity to dance professionally was special and that even when it felt too hard some days, the performances always made the struggle worth it.
Our dreams could easily become a grind. As many of us know, our real-life responsibilities, such as cooking meals, doing the dishes, cleaning the house, driving the kids to their activities, responding to school emails, and so forth can kind of wear down our hearts and cause us to forget their value and importance. One way I stay inspired as a wife and mom is simply by reminding myself of the value of these roles. Sometimes I need to pause and consider what a beautiful and high calling these gigs are. I need to remember that these are my greatest dreams come true. In caring for and loving these guys, I’m participating in holy and good work. My investment in them is the sweetest part of dreaming with God. A perspective check and a little heart pep talk keep me inspired in marriage and motherhood. In practical terms, quality time with Brian, whether it’s a date night out or drinking coffee together on our back porch, reminds me that this togetherness in marriage is my greatest dream come true. Also, as I mentioned before, our little family heads to Missouri every summer for family camp. Taking a short hiatus from chores, busy calendars, and everyday routines seems to freshly inspire me. During this time away, the love of my heavenly Father whispers to me and washes such beautiful grace and truth over me, reminding me that my marriage and family is of utmost value. There I find precious inspiration to keep dreaming with God.
As a writer, I stay inspired through various ways. One of my favorite sources of inspiration is the bookstore. With a coffee cup in hand, inspiration and excitement for writing swells up inside me as I browse the aisles and aisles of books. Sometimes if I’m feeling discouraged, a trip to the bookstore perks me up and reminds me that writing is one of God’s unique dreams for me and that even though the process can feel slow or self-doubt can try to steal my joy, God is with me through it all.
Reading is another way I stay inspired as a writer. I buy way too many books and read multiple books at once. Keeping a good read close by reminds me that the whole writing and publishing process eventually becomes the gift of a book in someone else’s hand just as the rehearsal process in dancing eventually becomes a performance. This thought makes me incredibly giddy.
Also, I stay inspired to keep dreaming with God and appreciate the roles He has given me by keeping motivating reminders nearby. For instance, when I was dancing, laying out my stage makeup on a floral print towel, all nice and orderly, and placing pictures of my family on the mirror in front of me kept me inspired as I sat backstage preparing for a show. In marriage and motherhood, my home is a source of inspiration for me: pictures hang on the walls, purple homemade cards from my boys decorate my desk, cards from my husband cover my nightstand, and old journals line the bookshelf in our bedroom. To stay inspired in my writing, I pin encouraging quotes to my bulletin board, keep a stack of favorite books next to me as I work, and of course, make sure to have a good cup of coffee nearby. All these physical reminders of God’s faithfulness in leading me to my unique roles keep me inspired and help me truly enjoy these roles.
So I encourage you to find your own unique ways to stay inspired in your own dreaming journey.
Cultivating Gratefulness
Staying inspired helps us cultivate gratefulness for who God made us to be and the dreams He planted in us. He longs for us to love where He has us. Gratefulness gets us to that place. Gratefulness also points our hearts to the One who is the ultimate Dreamer—God Himself. Gratefulness reminds us that this dreaming dance is all about Him. As we cultivate gratefulness, thriving in our roles becomes much, much easier. As we soak in all that God has done for us in our own dreaming dances, we start to “own” our dances, so to speak. When we own our dances, God’s best assignments including the roles and dreams He has just for us, we flourish.
Whether your dreaming journey involves big stages with lights and audiences or the quietness of home where no one notices the details you take care of, remember that your callings matter. Your work, your dreaming with God, what you do is spiritual work. Your callings are your mission field.
You delight God and make Him smile by embracing your roles and His dreams for you and doing what He created you to do. I encourage you to break free from the comparison mode and your tendencies to get lost in the world’s distractions and instead get to know God in a deeper way. Stay inspired in the things He has called you to in this life and find ways to keep your feet grounded in gratefulness. Your roles are absolutely significant, and God wouldn’t want you doing anything else but dancing through life in the dreams He has for you.
Prayer, Scripture, and Reflection
for Your Dreaming Heart
Take my heart and simplify it so that I have more room to know You and to do only the things You’re calling me to do. Show me what in my schedule and on my calendar needs to go and what needs to stay. Let me simplify my life so I can keep You as my main focus. May that focus be the source from which everything in my life flows. Thank You for bringing to light the comparison and distraction that goes on in my heart on a daily basis. Thank You for showing me how destructive these are to my heart, soul, and mind. Thank You for loving me so much and for directing me in the path to Your best for me. Lord, I lay down all the ways I compare myself in life and all the distractions that are keeping me from focusing on You. I ask for Your divine help and grace to lay aside these distractions and recognize the debilitating thoughts I think throughout the day. In your strength and with Your guidance, help me live differently. May my soul cling to You and enjoy the quiet, deep rest that results from centering my life on You.
“But my eyes are fixed on you, Sovereign LORD; in you I take refuge.” Psalm 141:8
“Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” Proverbs 4:23
“You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.” Isaiah 26:3
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” John 10:10
“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” Romans 12:2
“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” Philippians 4:8
“Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” Hebrews 12:1
1. What roles do you sense God nudging you to simplify your life down to? What dreams and activities do you sense are His very best for you?
2. What things have you said yes to that make you feel pressured, panicked, stressed, or just overwhelmed?
3. What things can you say no to in order to free up your schedule to make room for more of God and His dreams for you?
4. Note how it makes you feel when you’re in “comparison mode.”
5. What personal distractions keep you from thriving in the roles and dreams God has for you?
6. What are some practical ways you can eliminate comparison and distraction in your life?
7. How can you stay inspired and cultivate gratefulness?