Dream Big

I marvel at my brother, Vukani, who at 16 years old knows and has known from a young age what he wants to be when he grows up. I remember my neighbour from eMadadeni, a township near Newcastle (SA) telling me that he wants to be an astronaut. I remember thinking this boy is so unrealistic how does he think he will ever get to NASA? It never occurred that his dream might steer him to be the founding member of South Africa's space exploration program. That was me in a nutshell - the realist. I can easily tell you why your dream is impossible. I once remarked that I loved school because each year was clearly marked for you. Pass and moved to the next grade. The subjects I chose at Grade 10 were not aligned to any dreams. I chose a subjects that would give me the greatest freedom of choice. I even did those Q&A at life skills where your responses point to a career path that's most suited to your personality. I didn't take it seriously because I never once researched those careers to see what I could actively pursue. 

My boyfriend is a dreamer. That's one of the things that attracted me to him. When I saw his vision board I was overwhelmed. I couldn't believe someone could stretch their imagination so much and want such big things for themselves. His dreams were all crystalised on that board and I especially like that he wanted to be a good husband and father. I didn't expect that from a young guy. I think his vision board was one of the reasons I decided to date him! hahaha

In my mind's eye I had I figured that I would get married one day and support my husband's dreams (poor husband!!!). I had placed my ability to dream on-hold hoping that his dreams will become our dreams. The more I spend time with God, the more I get the feeling that he wants more from me than that. God wants me to have my own dreams. I saw a beautiful clip communicating the lie of realism. In the clip the speaker mentions that the lie of realism is that we have named things where there is no soul, no spirit, no supernatural as realistic. He then takes us through the history of the bible where he points out it's far from what we would call realistic: Moses and his magic stick or Samson's strength or David killing a giant with a stone. He says we are living in a fantasy world and you can watch more of it here. It just made me laugh at how serious I am at times so I have to chose to be more child like! And dream big:)

My pastor's wife had a dream of encouraging women of all ages to pursue their purpose in life. Glow is a birth of that dream. The word Glow literally means to be exuberant and radiant to burn brightly and intensely, the mission is to Glow in the environment that God has placed us in. The annual conference took place on the 26 October 2013 and the theme was "I have a dream". I listened in awe to three women who were driven each day by their dream. They knew, like my brother, what they wanted to be. And today they were living, no, thriving in their dreams. I couldn't draw from any past dreams that were unfulfilled or any present dreams that I am striving for. I was filled with hope for the blank canvas before me I cannot wait to see what good deeds God has prepared for me to walk into (Ephesians 2:10).

Our three speakers for the day! They are godly women who are an inspiration

These are some of the key learnings I got from the conference. 

1. Write it down your dream. My boyfriend has pictures of what he dreams of so you can also do the same. Take note of this - if the dreams you write down are achievable without God they are not big enough! 
2. Spend time with God to ensure that your dreams are aligned to his heart. When your heart and God's heart are aligned, nothing can stop those dreams.
3. Know your strengths and weaknesses. Ask loved ones what your strengths are. Make sure you dreams are aligned to your strengths. John C Maxwell says "Stop working on your weaknesses!" 
4. Having the dream written down is important because storms will come. And when they come you need to remember that you have a dream worth pursing in-spite of the challenges
5. God is faithful even during the difficult times. It's through the testing that we get to know and discover who God really is
6. Go where God sends you. Trust him even when you don't understand. God is good. Our view is limited so we don't see that God has given us dreams what will give us the greatest fulfillment, joy, blessings and abundant life.
7. God is most glorifies in us when we are most satisfies in him. 1 Corinthians 10:31 says so whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. We must bring Glory to God in whatever situation we find ourselves - working mom, stay at home mom, single, career woman. In that very situation you can bring glory to God. 
8. God is kind enough to frustrate us when we try to build a name for ourselves Genesis 11:1-9. He is merely guiding us on a path that will bring the most glory to him. I love this.
9. There are two main reasons for not achieving your dreams - fear of man and fear of failure. Do not fear. God says I will never leave you or forsake you Deuteronomy 31:6
10. Know your identity in Jesus Christ. When what you do is not linked to who you are then you have the freedom to try new things. When you succeed you give the glory to God. If you fail, you know that your identity is linked  to who God says you are and not what you do. And you can try again. 

Have fun along the way...Loved our praise and worship. God was glorified:)

Hope this inspires you to dream and to have a conviction that you an live your God-given dreams. I hope you would allow yourself the freedom pursuit your dreams.