How Loving Your Dreams Develops Your Purpose

 

by Texas Stready

Dream, dammit!

And I say that in the nicest way possible.

I can’t tell you the years I spent unable to dream.

Unable? Unwilling?

Same difference.

Point is, it wasn’t getting done.

Never understood the importance of having a vision…until I had one.

In the last five years I’ve cultivated positive and achievable expectations.

I’ve dreamed of being an author, a speaker, a freedom fighter, and a champion.

A great mother, an honored daughter, a faithful friend.

And now—I’m all of those.

Yay!

Set It Up

Took many moons for me to recognize that dreaming develops purpose.

Spent most of my life believing dreams were a setup for let down. I mean, if you don’t get your expectations too high, you won’t be so disappointed, right?

Wrong!

Truth is, if you won’t allow yourself to imagine new possibilities, you get stuck in the status quo. And that’s the grandfather of letdown.

Stuck. Yuck!

So, if you haven’t figured it out yet, let me clue you in. Dreaming doesn’t set you up for letdown…not dreaming keeps you from your “come up.”

Up & Down

I find it best to stay on a somewhat even keel.

For an excitable person, like myself, that’s not easy. But not getting too excited makes disappointment less noticeable.

Remember, defeat, disaster, and deficiency are part of life, so thinking you can avoid them is not a dream…it’s a delusion. I realize, some mountaintops are so high you can’t keep from shouting when you’re up there, but at other times we get overly enthusiastic about stuff that should be considered routine.

If we belong to Christ, we’re citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven.

This means we have access to all of Heaven’s riches, power, and authority.

Embracing this truth enables us to grab hold of our identity. And being secure in your identity keeps you from E.N.S. (emotional nosedive syndrome)

The Heart Of The Matter

We are designed with a unique, individual, chemical and mental makeup.

This is no accident.

What’s important to you is significant. Why? Because you were created with purpose.

Many times in life we do what it takes to fit in, you know, not go against the grain. Trouble is, that’s how we lose our identity.

What matters to you…matters to God.

No, He’s not going against His Word, but He absolutely cares about your heart. He made you the kind of person whose moved by certain things for a reason.

Yes, life has distorted some of this, but loving your dreams helps develop your purpose.

On Purpose

Not only can no one dream for you, no one can tell you what is or isn’t your purpose.

Do the work of recognizing what you hate, what you love, and why.

If there are things you hate because of instability, injustice, or insecurity, search out what brought those on. Then forgive, release, and move past them, cause those slimy little suckers are nothing more then purpose-eliminators.

Gross.

The great thing about authentic love is…it does nothing but good.

That means focus on love expands the good. So get your head right. Learn to love the people around you, and yourself—not because, just because.

The Answer

When you can honestly and accurately answer these four questions, your purpose will be standing right in front of you.

• Why do you love what you love?
• How can you do what you love?
• When does what you love help others?
• Where can you be that welcomes what you love?

Your reason for living is intricately designed for you to love it.

This makes the answer to finding your purpose simple.

Tina Turner sings, What’s Love Got to Do With It? 

Well, I say, Love Is It!

So, get busy loving what you’re made for enough to dream about it, and the rest will come.