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I was watching an episode of
our local Masterchef and famous British chef Marco Pierre White gave a short inspirational speech about the power of dreams.
“Dreams … without them you’ll
achieve nothing.”
A day later, I popped cross
to a blog I hadn’t visited for a few months to find the latest post was an
encouragement to write down your dreams. “Ask God again to dream with you. No,
to give you His dreams!” (Lynn Donovan)
Okay. I think God might be
trying to tell me something.
And just to confirm the
following day the daily reading from John Eldredge’s devotional was titled “We
Can’t Out-Dream God.” The post stated how the majority of people say they don’t
have any dreams and those who do, only a small portion actually write them down
and follow them up.
BAM!
Three strikes.
I couldn’t recall the last
time I had spent any time thinking about my writing dreams. Life had gotten so
muddled for a variety of reasons and I realised I’d kinda lost my way with my
dreams for my writing. I was simply plodding along.
“Awakening and owning the
dreams that God has placed in our hearts isn’t about getting stuff or attaining
something. It’s about embracing who we are and who He has created us to be. In
Him.” (John Eldredge)
So I listened.
Opened my heart and started
to dream. Again. With Him.
Sure my world didn’t just
change overnight but it was like I woke up again and could see a little further
down the road. I’d lifted my head up from having spent too much time looking
downward.
A fog had lifted. That
simmering flame in my heart suddenly received some oxygen and began to burn a
little brighter.
“Because the thing about
dreams is, dreams come true.” (John Eldredge)
When did you last get in
touch with your writing dreams?
If it’s been a while may I encourage
you this week to spend some time with pen and paper (or e-device) in hand and
chat to God about them. You might be surprised what the two of you come up with.
Ian Acheson is an author and strategy consultant based in Northern Sydney. Ian's first novel of speculative fiction, Angelguard, is now available in the US, UK, Canada and Australia. You can find more about Angelguard at Ian's website, on his author Facebook page and Twitter
Great post, Ian. I can relate to the fog part. :) And am inspired to write down some new dreams. I remember an ACFW conference with keynote Debbie Macomber, at which she urged us to write down our 5 top writing dreams. I've achieved 4 of those, and shelved the 5th, which was to rewrite my Daphne-winning ms so it would better suit my current publisher. Interestingly, I achieved the others a few years ago and never wrote anymore, just got caught up in the whirlwind. This year, I've stepped back a little to catch my breath and I think you've addressed what I really need to contemplate. What are God's dreams for my writing?
ReplyDeleteHi Sandra … don't you love how the Lord puts a thought on our hearts for a blog post knowing that it will also be useful to others? I love that you find this of encouragement to you. Dream big, my friend, and all of us here at ICFW will be excited to see them realised in the years ahead.
DeleteReally appreciated this post, Ian. Dreams, goals, plans, whatever we call them, seem to embed themselves in our subconscious once we write them down. Love the idea that we can't out-dream God. And the reminder that God and I are a team. Former name of a writing conference here in Canada was "God Uses Ink." Exciting and encouraging.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Janice. I'm glad you found the post relevant to you. Enjoy your dreaming.
DeleteLovely post, Ian. Our dreams and aspirations are so important and it's unfortunately too easy to lose our focus. Thanks for sharing your inspiring thoughts with us :)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Ian--and I'm so glad those dreams are being re-energised for you as you listen to God. Loved that last line of yours - 'You might be surprised at what the two of you come up with.' That's really neat!
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