If you know me, you know I love to talk about dreams. I believe God calls each of us to constantly dream new dreams for our lives. As adults, we have to really work to awaken this spirit of dreaming within ourselves. Kids on the other hand, have it down! Dreaming comes so easily to them. Young children have not yet developed a lifetime of limiting beliefs and they aren’t held back by fear of any kind. Instead, they have an inspired idea and they run with it! Today, I want to share just three things about dreams!
#1: Encourage the dream within
Children are brimming with ideas, and as adults, we can work with the children in our lives when we take the time to encourage them to pursue their dreams. When our granddaughter, Mara recently turned 9 years old, she presented her mother with an idea to create matching dresses for all of her birthday party guests. Mara got to work sketching out a custom design for the dress that she wanted to create. Her mother (our daughter, Kelly) could have easily dismissed the idea and tried to talk Mara into doing something more simple for the party. Goodness knows, Kelly has a never ending to-do list, but instead, she took the time to encourage Mara’s dream. Kelly found a seamstress to make the dress that Mara designed and made it possible for each of the girls who attended Mara’s party to have their very own dress! Mara was so excited when she saw an idea that started on a piece of paper, come to life in the form of a real dress! At the party, she was able to share her dream with all of her friends and each girl learned to hand embroider her initials onto the dress.
#2: Go the extra mile
After the party, Kelly was excited to share this sweet story with her friend, a fashion designer and owner of a Frances Rose Boutique. Kelly’s friend was so inspired by the story that she asked Mara, the budding fashion designer to design a dress for her Spring 2017 collection! You can only imagine how special, nine year old, Mara felt when she heard this news! Encouraging someone’s dream goes a long way, but helping them move their dream into reality can be life changing. Listen closely to the children around you. What are they dreaming about? What would they love to accomplish? Could you help them research the dream? Or maybe you could help them build out an action plan and talk to them about steps they can take to work toward the dream?
#3: Be Inspired
If you are struggling to know what dream God has for your own life, take a moment to be inspired by the tiny dreamers in your life! I’m constantly amazed by children and their imaginations. Boxes easily become castles, blankets become forts and sticks serve as magic wands or swords. For our children, the days are measured, not in minutes or hours, but by the number of adventures they can squeeze in. Just watch any 4 year old and you will witness the art of living in the moment! They aren’t concerned about anything beyond the task or adventure at hand! How can you become more childlike? It is the one thing we can all do to discover our dreams and grown in our faith!
Matthew 18:3-5
“Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5 And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.”
