Dreams RedeemedSample

Faith does not make us immune to the hardships of life. There are moments when jobs are lost, hearts are broken, or loved ones are taken before their time. 

There are other times when we are left waiting (and waiting and waiting) for our dreams to come to fruition. The dream for a child, a spouse, or for a relationship to be restored. For a loved one to overcome an illness or addiction. For a break in our career. Our hearts are left aching with longing for what we don’t yet have. Sometimes, we ache for so long that our hope dwindles and we may even stop dreaming, so it doesn’t hurt so bad anymore. 

God cares about our dreams. In fact, He places “God dreams” in each of our hearts. But, if I desire the dream more than God, The Giver of Dreams, I make the dream an idol. 

From the time I was two-years-old, I wanted to be a famous actress. As a child, I spent hours in the mirror developing characters.  Abuse and exploitation derailed me from all of my dreams, including that one. When I began walking with Jesus, I decided to pursue acting again. 

I was booking work and having a great time building a career but, I soon realized that God had a different dream for my life than the one I had been pursuing.  

If I am honest, my desire to be an actress was partly about wanting to feel a sense of significance. God wanted me to find my worth in Him, not in the recognition and attention I could receive as an actress. I also began to understand that He wanted to use the pain from my past to bring hope and freedom to others. 

I decided to follow the God Dream for my life and in 2003, I founded Treasures, an outreach and support group to victims of sexual exploitation and trafficking. Every day, I get to see lives impacted as a result of my decision to follow the God-dream for my life! If I had continued to hold on to my dream of being an actress, or worse, let it become an idol in my life, I would have missed the dream that God had in mind for me! 

God cares about us, and He cares about our dreams. He cares enough that He is willing to redirect us away from what we think we want, so that He can lead us into what He has for us. 

There is a God dream for your life. It might be something you are already walking towards, or it could be something completely unexpected. I believe that as you hold your plans and dreams with open hands, and trust Him with the process, He will lead you into the fullness of what He has in store for you.