The Future: Goals and Dreams
“Vision is important because the bible says, without vision, the people perish. Without vision, we drift and get sidetracked. But with vision, we can have a laser focus on what we are supposed to be doing. And as I was praying about our vision for this next year, the emphasis for this next year will be … The Power of the Gospel.”
- Pastor Tony Walliser
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.””
- Jeremiah 29:11-14 NIV
“So... what do you want to be when you grow up?”
“I have BIG dreams and goals and aspirations....”
“What are they?”
“When I grow up I want to...”
And the conversation goes from there. Whether it be a child, a student, a graduate, or an adult considering their first/2nd/3rd career.
As we grow up and mature, many times those plans change. Sometimes they change numerous times.
Many times, at least in our minds, we’ll have it all planned out. Know each step we want to take and how we are going to get there. We’ll know exactly what we need to do in an unknown future.
Many times we don’t...
To me, that’s the beauty of faith in Jesus. He has a plan for us. He gives us the vision. He knows what the future holds. He allows us to make our choices. To go our own way. But He knows the plans He has for us if we just trust, follow and believe. We have to give Him our fears and our dreams… even the Big Ones. Even the dreams that we want so bad that we’re afraid to say them out loud. Afraid to share them for fear of what others might say or think. He wants us to trust Him with even those dreams, and follow Him.
And that’s the hard part... no matter what our age or life experience. Sometimes its just hard to trust like that. Sometimes it just seems easier to go our own way or just let our dreams die. Forgetting that quite often those dreams are placed in our minds, hearts and souls by the Maker of our minds, hearts and souls.
I think Corrie ten Boon said it best when she said,
”Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.”
In Him we have hope and a future. We can trust Him with everything… even our goals and dreams for He is the Power… the Power of the Gospel.
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew, and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith, just as it is written: The righteous will live by faith.”
- Romans 1:16-17
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your paths.”
- Proverbs 3:5-6
