FAITHdare #24: Dream Big

"The more you have, the more you have to lose. The longer you have, the more you become dependent on the available resources. Wealth moves us to depending on resources where once we were depending on resourcefulness. If we are not careful, what we have can establish the limitations of what we can imagine" (from Wide Awake, by E. McManus).

Today in my church, an observation was made: The more we have, the more anxiety we seem to have. Funny, isn't it? As we get more stuff, we suddenly have dilemmas that we don't really need to have...Should I wear this outfit, or THIS outfit? What in the world am I going to make for dinner? Or should we go out to eat instead? Which car do I buy? Do I put my child in baseball, or soccer?

Have you ever wondered how many of our "problems" are of our own creation? What if we only had one outfit? No more dilemma. What if we only had enough food for the next meal? Poof! Tough decisions fly out the window. And on and on... For most of the world, there is no choosing which outfit to wear or which meal to cook. "The more you have, the more you have to lose..." And so we become anxious. How do we keep from losing?

Perhaps what we don't realize is that we are being choked. "...Others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful" (Mark 4:18-19). Is your stuff choking you? Is your stuff hindering your growth as a follower of Christ? Do you find yourself anxious about many things, things that you don't even need?

Do you need to do some weeding?

I want to be able to dream God's big dreams. I want to be free to go wherever He calls me, whenever He calls me. And I realize I need to be careful to avoid accumulation of stuff, because "what we have can establish the limitations of what we can imagine." If I get too comfortable in a nice house, with plush things and all the comforts of the "American dream," dreaming God's dreams becomes increasingly difficult as I begin to rely on resources in place of the Source of Life.

I want to be free to dream big with God, don't you? In order to do so, though, we are going to have to expand our worlds. "When you invite God to give you a dream for your life, you will find God expanding the parameters of your concern" (McManus). When you are feeling anxious about how to keep from losing all the time, it's hard to be concerned about those outside of your world.

This week, I am inviting you to dream big with God.

FAITHdare #24:
What can you and God do together with your possessions? How can you use the resources God has given you to expand His kingdom, to care for those who have less? Dream big with God!

If you're a music person, this song came out this week and totally spoke to my heart. If you have a minute, check it out!

"Father break my heart for what breaks yours. Give me open hands and open doors. Put your light in my eyes and let me see that my own little world is not about me."