So many times in my life I have thought, if things were different I would… (fill in the blank). “If things were different”. But what I really meant was “If I were different.” If I had it in me. If I were strong enough to handle it.
So many times, I saw a need or had a dream and made excuses. Listening to the voice in my head, I believed the lie that certain things are meant for certain types of people. And I was not one of them. That I was made for quiet and safe, and others were made for chaos and adventure.
But that is simply not true.
Who is the “me” that I believe I am? Why is that person so limited?
What if we dared to believe that we are far less limited than we think? What if we had access to unlimited amounts of power and resources?
“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I that live, but Christ who lives within me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” Galatians 3:20
Christ lives within me. For those who have given their life to Christ, we have Him. All His strength, assurance, acceptance, provision, discernment, and power. We have access to all the God is, the entirety of His character. Not only that, but we were created by Him for a good purpose. A purpose that is universal, and yet completely unique.
So what are those things that your heart longs for. The dreams that you feel deep in your soul. They can be small or big. Life changing, or life giving. Have you ever spoke the outloud? Have you ever done anything to pursue them?
God puts desires in our hearts. “For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Those things that our hearts beat a little faster for… Those are gifts from God.
Now not all longings are of God. Some might be of the flesh. But I have confidence that will be made clear if we take them before the Lord in prayer, with wise counsel, comparing them to Scripture. And those things that stand firm can confidently be pursued in God’s strength. We don’t need to shy away from them in hesitancy or fear. We chase after them.
Walking in faith and bringing them before the Lord will produce one of two things. Either one of two results: either He will see them through for His glory, or He will change your heart and desires through them for His glory.
See not everything will go the way we plan. Some dreams may never come to be. Some may not pan out the way we had hoped. But that doesn’t make them not worth pursuing. Because God is big enough to handle our greatest dreams and desires. He can do more than we would ever be able to accomplish on our own. He can show us how big He is through our pursuit of the passions He has put in our hearts.
And He can also satisfy us when they don’t produce the results we want. When our dream is met, there is a beauty in realizing the God of the universe is still more satisfying than any earthly desire. Let him assure us that even in perceived failure, He made a way for us to be accepted by Him through Christ on the cross.
“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I that live, but Christ who lives within me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” Galatians 3:20
It is Christ that lives within us. He is our strength, our guide, our foundation. He has made a way and will continue to make a way for what He wills. In us and through us for His glory and our good.