I’ve had this dream. The dream is reoccurring and I have had it countless times over the years. It is always the perfect sunny day, and I am in the wilderness with lots of grass, trees, hills, and a path. The dreams are peaceful and relaxing, and the grass is greener than any grass I have ever seen. One time, I visited a lake that was beyond some of the hills, and every time I have had the dream since I am trying to find that lake without success although I know it is there…somewhere. How do I get there when I don’t know where “there” is?
Have you ever felt like you are “here”, and you want to get “there” but you don’t know where “there” is? “There” has to be somewhere but you don’t know what it is that is before you. For someone who is a planner, that can be frustrating.
This week I had the dream again, but this time I had an aerial view of the wilderness. There was a path with twists and turns, the greenest grass, the clusters of trees, and the lake. Not gonna lie, it was beautiful, just like the other dreams. There was something else this time though. The view was like an interactive map. There were certain points on the map that lead to the lake, and getting to the lake happened by getting from one point to the next, one step at a time.
So this is life. Sometimes we have the God sized dreams that He has put in our hearts and we are unsure how to accomplish those dreams, but other times we don’t know what is before us.
When you follow, He leads
This week I received the first draft for this years women’s weekend brochure, which was designed by a graphic designer. Receiving the draft for the brochure the past 3 years has always been a confirmation of God’s faithfulness and a time for me to remember that when you follow, He leads.
I didn’t know what was before me back in January of 2013, but it was a month later that a little seed would be placed in my heart to have a women’s retreat for our young adult service at church. When that seed was planted, I would have never guessed that (long story short) 4 years later the retreat would grow to be a church wide women’s weekend that have had between 135-155 women in attendance for the past 2 years!
When our team did our first small women’s weekend back in 2013, we had practically no budget for anything. We didn’t have a brochure, the hand outs that we had were created in Word, and the speakers that we had were speaking out of the goodness of their hearts. As you can see, we didn’t have a lot. But what we did have was something much bigger than anything our budget could provide. His light for our path. On last years retreat, I remember that on Saturday night, we had just finished praying in our groups, and we were about to sing the last song of worship. The speaker, and dear friend Amy, were standing off to the side, and the women were standing in their groups holding candles that were illuminating the room. I will never forget this moment, because although I remember where I was standing and how the candles were lit, what I remember most is that I knew God was moving in the lives of all those in the room. It was beautiful.
Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.
Psalm 119:105
I am not sure where “there” is, and maybe you don’t in your life either. But the one thing that I am sure of is that I don’t have to have it all figured out, because there is a God so much bigger than I can ever imagine, who does have it all figured out and has it all under control. So, what do you do when you don’t know where “there” is? How do you get there? By following His path that is set before you, and taking one step at a time, as small as some steps may be. When you do that, one day you will be able to stand back and see how God has been been faithful the entire journey as He has lead you to something beautiful.
