Dreaming Big With God

Much dreaming and many words are meaningless. Therefore stand in awe of God. Ecclesiastes 5: 7

Now that Miles and Cole are back in school, we don’t see them quite as often and even our conversations on the phone have become less frequent! At least we text with Miles every now and then, and last night, we got a call from Cole! I was so happy to hear that sweet voice and said, “Cole, it’s so good to talk to you. How are you and how is kindergarten?”  

But first, he wanted to know if Granddad was on the phone too. I told him he was, and before Bob could even speak, he said, “Ok guys, this is really serious. I have something really important to tell you. You know that I’ve been really busy with school, homework, soccer practice and games on Saturday, and I don’t have much time to talk to you. But I have to tell you this. I am getting ready for the “Turkey Trot” again this year! Dad and I have been training at the track and it’s a lot of work.  But I have to be ready to do my best! I really want to run fast, finish the race, and get a ribbon! So I just wanted you to know. Bye. See you soon. Love you.”

And before we knew it, we were staring at the phone, listening to silence. He was gone! What a funny little 5 year old he is! Kel called later to tell us that she had suggested he call, since we haven’t talked to him in awhile. So he did – to tell us that he was too busy to talk! He has a race in November to get ready for!

She said he is so excited and is taking it so seriously! It is a fundraiser at their school and students and their parents can sign up for the 5k run. They also have a “Fun Run” for smaller kids called the “Turkey Trot“.  Cole entered last year and loved it! A teacher wears a turkey hat and costume, the kids run around the track, trying to catch him, and everyone gets a ribbon for completing the race. Cole definitely wants to be ready and is promising that he will do his best! He has big dreams and he is determined to make them happen!

We’ve all had our dreams, haven’t we, and we still do. In the past, we’ve carefully mapped them out, put our hearts and souls into making them happen, and found that some worked out, and some didn’t. Then at other times, we probably “dreamed” and “talked” a little more than we worked, and of course, they never panned out.

This verse in Ecclesiastes written by Solomon has a good message for us. I think he is reminding us that dreaming and talking “with many words” about our dreams is pretty meaningless if we don’t put our best efforts behind them. God planted the idea of dreams in our hearts, gave us creative minds, and wants us to be challenged, and live happy and fulfilled lives. Because we worship an awesome God who can do great things, He wants us to dream BIG, but He also wants us to plan well, work hard to accomplish them, and most of all, He wants our dreams to be in line with His purpose  for our lives.

At times, we try to get God to go along with our plans, pray that He will work them out and bless them, when instead, we should be going to Him and following His direction and guidance. Sometimes we may need to just be quiet, listen, and let Him show us the way. Then if our plan is in step with His, we can rest assured that it will work out. And when it does, we can give Him much gratitude and praise, knowing we could have never done it without Him.

Prayer

Dear God, may we come to you with our hopes and dreams and let you guide us through them. We are grateful that you know best and will always show us the way. Amen